Bookmark the Memories
by waremono.Iv
Summary: Starting his third year of high school, Kise is beginning to think his friends from the Generations of Miracles are lacking high school romance. So he is determined to get them to find their first girlfriends. But how can he help them? Or even force them to get a girlfriend? Later, being able to get a group of girls, what he did not know is that they secretly hold guns. GoM x OCs ?
1. Get A Girlfriend!

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Get A Girlfriend!**

Spring. It was that time of the year again. The students of Kaijō High were gathered in front of the school. Many different clubs were anxious to recruit new first year members.

In a certain booth of the basketball club, their ace was not around to help. The reason was they had told Kise he would only attract his fans around the booth so he had to stay away. Just so the path was clear to the first years. They did not even need Kise to be around. Every first year students, who were interested, knew who the Copycat Kise Ryouta was. The basketball booth was already filled with many people and everything was progressing very well.

"Ahhh, I'm so bored," Kise complained, sighing to the ceiling. He was leaning against a glass wall on the second floor hallway. Glancing back, he watched all of the clubs exciting recruiting the first year students who were going around.

It was going to be an exciting year. The final year. And the final basketball games. But there was something lacking. Kise gazed off into the distant and felt like he was a white room all by himself. '_What will I do after graduating_?' the blonde thought to himself, softening his face expression.

He realized he had not planned out his future. Always playing basketball, it was a sport he loved so much. Playing forever would be nice. Playing with all of his friends. But what then? Should he enter the National Games? How would he do that? Though, he still had a modeling life. He could always do that too.

And what about his friends? Would they go on their separate paths? Go get a job or go to a university to play more basketball? Maybe even marry someday and have kids?

Kise smiled at the thought of having kids. "It would be nice," he talked to himself, feeling like he was in a happy place. After a second, he lost his smile. "I can't even imagine Aomine-cchi getting marry…!" Let alone seeing Aomine being romantic to any girls.

Picturing his other friends getting married, Kise could only see Kuroko marrying off. Kise could see himself being married, but it seemed impossible for the rest of the Generation of Mircales. Kagami could cook, so he would definitely marry someone someday.

"This is bad," Kise covered his mouth, a little frightened. '_I bet none of them had girlfriends before! Their romance youth is going to waste_!' If they do not experience their first time before high school is over, they might end up having a big drama later in the future. Handling girls was harder than one would think. '_Even Senpai is trying to look for a girlfriend and he's having his own troubles_!'

Walking down the emptied hall, Kise took out his yellow cell phone. He had to let his friends know about this as soon as possible. Dialing away, Kise put his phone to his ear. After the fifth ring, someone picked up.

"What do you want?" Midorima's voice came on.

"Midorima-cchi! Get a girlfriend!" Kise demanded. There was short pause. And then Kise heard a click and the connection were cut off. "Wha—wait!" he sighed and dialed again. There was no answer though. Kise sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his head.

During the first break between classes, Kise called the next person in his seat of the back room, which was close to the door.

"Yeaaah?" Aomine answered lazily.

Kise smiled happily, "Aomine, have you ever had a girlfriend before?"

"…Uhhh, I don't think so," he replied, as if trying to remember something. "Cause none of the girls I know have big boobs."

Slapping his own face, Kise could only utter, "Aomine-cchiiii…"

"Why?" he asked, yawning right after. "If you're hooking me up with someone, she better have big boobs or—"

Kise hung up on him and sighed to himself.

Before heading out to eat lunch, Kise was still in his seat and was now calling the next person. When the person on the other side picked up, Kise questioned, "Murasakibara-cchi, have you ever wanted a girlfriend?"

"Eh? Kise-chin, that's the very first thing you say before greeting me?" Murasakibara questioned him instead.

"Well, I—"

"You DISTURBED my snack time just for a single question?" he sounded almost angry.

Kise hung up right away with a sweat drop. "Sounds like he wasn't in a good mood," Kise chuckled uneasily. He checked his contact list and stared at Akashi's name for a long moment. "I… I can't bring myself to ask him…" Kise then tried to call Kuroko.

"Yes, Kise-kun?" his voice came on.

"Kuroko-cchiiii!" Kise started to whine. "You're the only kind person in the world!"

There was a pause. "Is there something you want?" Kuroko asked normally.

"Oh, yeah," Kise remembered, smiling to himself. "I was wondering if you're interested having a girlfriend. You never had one, right?"

"Umm," Kuroko took a moment. "No."

"Great, then you should try to find one," Kise chuckled. "Want me to hook you up with anyone? I should have a good amount of girls on my list somewhere…"

Kuroko then said, "No, thank you. I already have Momoi-san."

There was a long silence between them. Kise squinted his eyes, "Come again?"

"I'm saying it's all right, Kise-kun," Kuroko told him.

Kise was getting excited and looked out the window. "What's this?" he teased. "Did something spark between you and—" Kuroko hung up and Kise moved his phone and stared at it. "What just happened?"

Without a second delayed, Kise called Momoi. "Yes?" Momoi answered cheerfully.

"Did something happen between you and Kuroko-cchi recently?" Kise quickly inquired.

"Eh?" she sounded unsure. "What do you mean?"

Kise sighed, "Uh… never mind." Maybe it was something else.

"Kise-kun?"

He smiled and said, "Sorry, Momoi-cchi. I was just mistaken."

"Geez, then don't call," she complained. "I'm now paying per minute here. Call me only if it's an emergency, okay?"

"Got it," he lightly laughed. "Later."

"Bye bye!" she happily said.

After closing his cell phone, Kise let out a sigh. His friends were a bit hopeless. Maybe they would never find a girlfriend and experience that kind of love. '_How sad_…' he thought with a dead smile. '_I guess we're all into basketball too much_.' Something like putting their love for basketball before the love of a girlfriend.

But Kise did not want to admit defeat. At least once, he just wanted his friends to get a taste of the affection of a girl. Kise made a fist and determinedly stood up.

After school, Kise walked back home alone. Maybe he can get his sisters to think of an idea for his friends. Walking pass a small jewelry shop, Kise looked through the glass windows. There was only one customer in there, a girl in a brown shirt and gray pants. She was touching a silver chained necklace with a single small white feather. Before he averted his eyes, he started to find her back a bit familiar.

When the girl stopped touching the silver chained necklace, she moved to leave the shop. Around her left shoulder was her dark blue bag. She walked out the front door that had a bell and she walked pass Kise with a blank expression. "Tomimura! Is that you?"

She stopped walking and stood very still for a moment. Kise went around and faced her. Slowly looking up at the tall blond haired guy, she knew she recognized his voice. "Kise-san? …You look the same," she backed away one step.

He looked at her dead serious eyes. Her pupils were blue-violet and her dull, light brown hair reached around her neck. "Wow, I didn't think I ever see you again!" Kise brightly smiled at her. "Tomimura Mizuki, was it? Where did you transfer?"

"To a high school where no good-looking guys lurk," she replied plainly as she looked away with boredom.

Kise chuckled, "What does that mean?" She gave him a dry look and he stared back at her curiously. "…Tomimura, would you like to have dinner with me sometime so we can catch up?" Kise smiled.

She studied at him carefully. He simply smiled right back at her. "…No thanks," she walked away casually.

Standing in complete confusion for a moment, he followed her closely. "Wait, what?" he asked, looking baffled. "Why did you turn me down?"

They were not even as close as friends. That was what she believed. "I don't know why I would NOT turn you down," Tomimura said, reaching into her bag. Taking out a book, she opened it and she pretended to read.

Kise sighed to himself, "Huh… you're the second person to actually reject me."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered," she made a dry expression. "So, Kise-san, who was the first to reject you?"

"Oh," he smiled brightly. "He's a friend of mine! Kuroko-cchi!"

Tomimura sighed at him. "I never seen someone talk about his or her first rejection with such a radiant smile before," she mumbled. And it was a boy Kise was talking about. The popular model just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

"So, why did you turn me down?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow. There had to be a reason. He was not planning to let her go easily until she answered. Was he lacking something? Did she like guys who would give her the cold shoulder, like how she was doing to him now? Or maybe she was not interested in guys?

Closing the book as hard as she could, she faced him and they both stopped walking. "Because you're too good-looking, Kise Ryouta," she pointed right into his chest.

He blinked innocently at her. "Good to know… And?"

"I can't handle the drama that comes to people like you," she told him, her hand returning to her side. "And it would simply brew trouble. My life will never be the same if I'm around you too much. Now, goodbye forever."

Before she turned away, he slightly got ahead of her and they kept their distances. "Hold on," he smiled, chuckling. Her serious face stayed on her face and he gulped. "Um… then can you help me with one thing?" This was probably a good chance.

She narrowed her eyes, "Why?"

"For breaking my heart with your rejection!" he touched his chest with his right hand. His eyes were now as serious as her. "So, will you just do me one favor? I need help, Tomimura!"

Folding her arms to her chest, she stared at him closely. His determined eyes were still burning like fire. With a grunt, she asked, "What is it?"

"Do you have any friends?" he beamed.

"I won't let you near ANY of my friends," she hissed, grabbing the collar of his shirt.

He slightly jumped and she let him go. "No, no, not like that," he smiled nervously. She was always the tough type. So she had not change at all. "I… need to get my friends to experience dating a girl for once."

"So?" she narrowed her eyes at him. This conversation was going to bore her to death.

"They never had a girlfriend before!"

"Uh-huh, I hear you," she frowned to the side. Not being surprised, some people may never have a girlfriend or a boyfriend either. She did not care about it though.

Kise sighed at her and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was wondering if you can get a few of your friends… and I can get mines… and do a mixer…" he slowly explained as if he was thinking out loud. He actually had not plan this yet, but it sounded pretty good to him already.

"Sorry, no," Tomimura shook her head at him. "I don't have a lot of friends who may be interested. Are we done now?"

"Aw, come on!" Kise was on the verge of tears.

She glared, "Kise-san, please find someone else. You have a lot of fans who would do exactly what you say."

He rubbed his face and looked at her with his hands waving. "But their my fans, see?" he pointed out, his eyes pleading. "I don't mean to say this, but I don't think it's right to ask them to come along. My fans wouldn't pay attention to my friends."

"Those fans of yours can't be that senseless," Tomimura gave him a bored look. "Though, I think you may have a point."

"Yeah?" Kise smiled brightly. "That's why I'm asking you…" He paused and blinked. "Are your friends my fans too?"

"They don't watch any basketball games," she replied, smirking a little. "They never had seen a game on television either."

Kise smiled even more, "Then you and your friends are perfect for the job!"

Looking as if he trapped her, she had a long silence. "…Kise-san," she sighed, raising a hand to pause their conversation.

"Tomimura, pleaseeee?" he winked, looking even more despite. "We had the same class in our second year. You're the only girl who I actually talked to more."

"Because we were stuck being partners," she reminded, rubbing her own face. "That was actually torturous."

Kise's mouth open in shock, "What? Really?"

She looked at him and to the side. After a moment, she grunted and looked at him again. He was still wearing a puppy face. She started to recall that year. It was during their second year in the beginning of school. His fans were jealous of Tomimura because she was his partner for a long-term project. She got bullied a bit, but then Kise saw it happened and stopped his fans. They stopped bothering her ever since. For being so popular, it was his fault to begin with. But Tomimura did want to repay him for being a good person and did what was right.

"…Alright," she closed her eyes, rubbing her face.

"Really?" he nearly exclaimed.

She nodded, gazing at him with another bored expression. "Just this once," she told him, pointing a finger up between them.

He laughed, almost taking her hand until she quickly moved it away. "Thank you so much, Tomimura! You won't regret this!"

"I hope I don't," she sighed deeply.

"Do you still have my number?" he blinked with a smile.

She stared at him blankly. "…I deleted it right after our long-term project," she recalled.

Kise looked hurt. "Why would you do that?" he asked, taking his yellow cell phone out.

"Why would I need it?" she squinted her eyes at him. There was no meaning in keeping such a thing.

"Here," he smiled, clicking away on his cell. "I'll give it to you again. Just so we can contact each other for the mixer."

Being quiet for a second, she blinked at him as he getting his number ready. "…Kise-san, why in the world do you still have my number?" she questioned cautiously.

He smiled, "I don't delete a friend's number."

Tomimura nodded at him, "Interesting. I never really thought you as a friend before."

"Hey, that's just mean!" he said, his eyes getting teary. She said nothing and he gestured his phone to her. "Come on, are you ready to take my number?"

"I guess so," she sighed, taking her yellow cell phone out.

Kise smiled, "Hey, we have the same color! I forgot about that!"

"No, my yellow is a brighter color," she shot a glare to him. He showed his cell to her and she clicked on the buttons to type down his number. When she was done, she quickly closed it.

He also put his cell away in his pant's pocket. "Tomimura, do you like yellow?" he inquired rather cheerfully.

"You're a little late to ask a 'friend' what color she likes, don't you think?" she crossed her arms at him, looking emotionless.

Laughing, he put his hands in his pockets. "Ha, it's never too late," he shrugged. She rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement. "So, is yellow your favorite?"

Tomimura glanced to him and he was still smiling with a radiant aura. She chuckled and smiled back, "Yeah. It's my favorite color since I was a kid."

"Heh, cool," he grinned happily. She lost her smile and walked forward. Kise stood where he was and said, "Call me when you ask your friends! I need at least seven girls!"

She waved without looking back. "I got it," she told him. '_Seven, huh? Strange that I do know seven girls_.' And then with another thought, she asked herself in her head, '_If he's trying to get his friends to have girlfriends… do they know Kise-san is doing a mixer_?' He never once mentioned they were looking for a mixer. Now she could only hope this mixer would not end up messy.


	2. It'll Be All A New Experience

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 2 was uploaded on October 22, 2013

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 2: It'll Be All A New Experience!**

On a Saturday night after the first week of the school year…

"Hey, hey, did you ask your friends yet, Tomimura?" Kise smiled, talking on the phone. He was lying back on his bed.

"No," she replied casually.

Kise's eyes popped out, "What? No?" He could hear faint pop music in the background.

She sighed and it sounded like she was in the kitchen. There were sounds like a knife dicing something. "I-I-I… can't," she quietly said.

Confused, he asked, "What do you mean?"

The dicing sound stopped. "I was never the one to ask something as absurd as a mixer," she replied dryly.

Kise whined, "Come onnnn, I gave you a LOT of time to go ask them."

"Then go ask someone else," she said rather annoyingly.

"But your friends don't know basketball," he reasoned. "And all of my friends play basketball, so your friends would be surprised!"

She sighed heavily, "There are other girls out there who don't know basketball too." He started to make a small whiny sound. "I'll talk to them tomorrow," she quickly said. She started to dice again and the water in the background was running.

"Promise?"

Tomimura grumbled, "Yeah, yeah." The sound of the water stopped.

He smirked, "Good."

"How is it going on your end? Are your friends ready for the mixer?" she inquired. Something was caught in Kise's throat and he was quiet. "Kise-san?"

"Ha… ha…" he flattened his eyes, hugging his fluffy blanket tightly. "Everyone didn't want to… but Kagami-cchi was interested."

"Cchi?" her voice was pitched high.

Smiling, Kise explained, "I add "cchi" to people's name when I admire them."

"Huh," she sounded a bit dry again. "That's kind of cute of you. I wonder how they all feel about it. Do you even have permission to call them like that?"

"Not really," he snickered.

Tomimura sighed, "Figures." He did seem like the type to ignore other people's feelings.

Turning around to lay on his stomach, Kise looked at his black alarm clock. It was already pass seven. "Well, when you confirm how many friends you're bringing along, let me know," he told her, scratching his head. "And hopefully I'll convince my friends so we can get this over with."

"Understood," she said. "But it's hard to believe that anything would happen between your friends and my friends. I hope you know what you're doing."

Kise chuckled, "Well, if this doesn't work out, I can find other ways."

She stopped talking while making other noises in the background. "Don't you have anything better to do than to make your friends get a girlfriend?" she had to ask.

"Basketball training," he told her. "I'm having a practice game next Wednesday."

"Good luck then," she offered with words.

He nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

After a short silence, she said, "Okay, I'm going to hang up now."

"Oh, one more thing, Tomimura!"

"What?"

Kise inquired, "Are you friends pretty?"

The sound of water was on again. "Strangely, yes, they are," she believed, but did not sound like she would care. "I think they're at least average-looking. …And I didn't think you were picky."

"No, I was just curious!" Kise defended himself. "I'll accept any girl into my heart!"

"Oh, I believe you," she sarcastically said. "Pretty people should go out with pretty people. The popular ones should date the other popular people. All the ugliest can just stay dead."

Kise blinked at the tone of her slight angered voice. What she said sounded familiar. "Tomi—" he started to say, but then she hung up. He paused and stared at his phone. Slowly closing it, he was starting to remember now.

All the ugliest can just stay dead.

'_That's right_,' he stared blankly. Months ago, someone said that exact line to Tomimura right before Kise went to tell his fans off. '_She was being bullied_,' he completely forgot. With a nervous sweat drop, he hoped Tomimura would still ask her friends about the mixer.

His cell phone vibrated a minute after and he opened it to see the text he received. It was from Akashi and it read: _Generation of Miracles, let's meet tomorrow for a little chat_._ Come to Fuku Park at the south before ten in the morning_.

Kise smiled and wrote back: _I'm there!_ This would be the chance to get them all together and talk about the mixer.

As the next day flew by, at noon…

Just arriving to the Fuku Park, Kise looked around for the others. The south area had a large water fountain in the center. Kids were running around, people jogging, and people walking their dogs. Kise walked around the water fountain and saw Aomine and Momoi sitting on the edge of the fountain.

"Aomine-cchi! Momoi-cchi!"

The two turned their heads to the voice and saw Kise jogging towards them. "Oh, Ki-chan," Momoi smiled with a wave.

"You two are early," Kise smiled brightly, standing in front of them.

"Of course!" Momoi beamed while Aomine frowned. "The message was from Akashi himself. Aomine-kun wouldn't want to be late, now would he?" she grinned to the dark skinned guy.

Kise chuckled and Aomine looked at him. "Hey, Kise," he gestured. "Do you know why we're meeting up? I can be sleeping right now."

Momoi pouted, "If Akashi was here, would you still say that?"

Yawning, Aomine said, "…Maybe. I just don't get why we have too. Akashi better have a good reason."

"Why wouldn't he?" Kise smiled. "I wonder what he wants to talk about."

After a minute of chatting with one another, Aomine pointed a little to Kise's right. "Tetsu's here," he said.

Kise turned around while Momoi stood up instantly. "Kuroko-cchi!"

"Tetsu-kun!"

Aomine frowned as the two of them ran off to greet Kuroko, who was still about a block away. Watching Momoi and Kise eventually walking back with Kuroko, the four were now together. Aomine remained seated, staring at Kuroko who was between Kise and Momoi. "Hey, Tetsu," he waved.

With a smile, Kuroko nodded, "Hello, Aomine-kun."

"Can you believe that we're third years now?" Momoi giggled, taking Kuroko's arm to hug it. "I wonder how our senpais are doing?"

Kuroko looked at her, "Is it true that Imayoshi is aiming to be a teacher?"

"Heh, yes," Momoi nodded, smiling to the side. "He was able to attend Tokyo U."

"How nice," Kuroko murmured with a smile.

"It's still hard to believe though, right?" Aomine dryly looked at his friends. "Who knew he liked teaching?"

Kise smiled widely, "It is hard to believe, but maybe it's just something he really wanted to do." And with a quick thought to himself, he added, "I'm sure you'll want to do something unexpected someday, Aomine-cchi. Like, having a girlfriend with a flat chest?"

"That would never happen, trust me," Aomine said, using his arms to make an X.

Rubbing his chin with a grin, Kise hoped that one of Tomimura's friends would have a flat chest. He really wanted to see Aomine with a girlfriend like that. Aomine gave Kise a light glare, wondering what the blonde was thinking about because he would not stop grinning.

"Ryouta, I heard you were asking everyone to go to a mixer, but you never asked me." The three, who were standing up, looked behind themselves. Aomine tilted his head and saw Akashi with Midorima and Murasakibara.

"What mixer?" Momoi was confused. She never heard about this before. Not even from Aomine.

"Huh?" Kise backed away with a sweat drop. "Akashi-cchi, you're interested?"

Akashi slightly smirked, "I didn't want to be left out."

Momoi blinked over to Murasakibara, who had bags of snacks, which were more than usual. "Mukkun, did Akashi buy extra snacks again?" she sighed, worried for his health.

He nodded, "See how much nicer he is than you, Sa-chin?"

"I'm not going to go over this again," Momoi put her hands on her hips, staring him down while he munched on cheese chips.

"Now that we're here," Midorima pushed his glasses up, not wanting to hear Momoi and Murasakibara talk any more than they already are. Glancing to Akashi's back, he asked, "What did you want us to 'chat' about, Akashi?" In his left palm, he had a small bottle of lotion.

Akashi gestured to Kise, "It's about the mixer, of course."

With a bright smile, Kise asked, "You really wanna go?"

"You have got to be kidding me," Midorima glared over to the blond. "There is no way that—"

"It appears Ryouta thinks we're lacking something," Akashi explained, his eyes becoming rather dead serious. Kise had a nervous laugh at Akashi's grim stare. "May I wrong, Ryouta?"

While everyone looked at the blonde, he slightly backed away with his hands up. "Look, I just thought…" he uttered, trying to think fast. But he could only be truthful and sighed. "Okay, yeah, I think you guys should experience having girlfriends and… stuff."

"No way!" Momoi pouted, jumping on Kuroko's back. "Tetsu-kun, were you considering Ki-chan's suggestion?"

"Umm," Kuroko blinked, staring off into space.

"There's no way I'm going to a mixer," Midorima said loud and clear.

Aomine shrugged, "Akashi, you're not saying that we should all go to a mixer, are you? That's too much work."

"Our ace is complaining about an little interaction with girls?" Akashi smiled right at him. Aomine blinked and frowned as a sign of giving up to argue about it. "We're already third years," Akashi looked at each person. "We should try to enjoy our last moments of high school. Not only that, think about our future as well."

Everyone was quiet, but Murasakibara rustling through his bags of chips and ate them casually. "Sure, if Aka-chin say so," he spoke to break the short silence.

"T-Then I'm going as well!" Momoi declared, standing right beside Kuroko. "Is that okay, Ki-chan?"

"Of course!" Kise nodded quickly. "I'm sure the girls wouldn't mind. It's just a mixer after all."

Aomine looked away and said, "I think Satsuki is just going to ruin it for Tetsu."

"Quiet, Aomine-kun," Momoi childishly pouted, leaning her head to his face.

And while Midorima looked pissed, Aomine said, "I guess I'll have to go. But this doesn't mean I'll like any of them. So only one mixer. And that's it."

"Sure thing!" Kise excitedly gave him a thumps up. He could only hoped a girl out there can make his friends feel the sparks of love.

"Kise," Midorima grumbled. Everyone turned to look at the green haired guy. "Tell me these girls aren't your fans."

Shaking his head, he said, "Not at all. They don't even know about basketball or me. So it'll be all a new experience!"

"I don't believe you," Kuroko blinked at him.

"Yeah," Murasakibara tilted his head. "How could you talk to girls who aren't your fans anyway? That's impossible."

Kise looked at them back and forth, "I met an old friend earlier and I asked her to get her friends. Her name is Tomimura Mizuki. We had the same class together last year, but then one day she transferred during late winter."

"Oh," Murasakibara slowly nodded to him, eating chips again. "Are you close to her? She's really not a fan of yours?"

"No, she's not a fan," Kise smiled. "And… we're not that close… but we're friendly to each other… maybe?"

Akashi glanced back to Midorima, "Have you made up your mind, Shintarou?"

"You guys are going to make me anyway," Midorima said in displeased. "As much as I hate to imagine Takao laughing at me… What other choice do I have?"

Momoi giggled, "Then you can check which days are best for Cancers falling in love."

Midorima had a vein on his head and turned around. "…Very well," he said. "Kise, let me check my horoscope, then we can pick a date for the mixer."

"Okay!" Kise beamed with excitement. This was actually going to happen! His friends with girlfriends will soon come true.

"Just so you know," Akashi said, interrupting Kise's mind. The blonde smiled to him, wondering what was up. "No matter what happened, don't blame us for being heartless. Anything can occur in a relationship."

Aomine frowned, "I can see the drama already…"

"Aw, come on," Kise smiled, looking over to Aomine. "It can't be that bad!"

Feeling anxious, Kuroko tugged at the bottom of his shirt. He was a little concerned about his friends getting girlfriends. He cannot even imagine it. What if they cannot treat a lady right? This year would probably be a year to be remembered.

"Oh," Momoi walked up to Kise. "Hey, are you also coming to the mixer, Ki-chan?"

"Eh?" Kise blinked at her. He never thought about it. "Can I?"

Murasakibara then asked, "You never had a girlfriend too, right?""

"I already had a girlfriend," Kise said, slowly recalling a face. Now that he thought about it, his friends had no clue about it either.

Aomine questioned, "You HAD a girlfriend?" Though, with Kise's looks, why would he not have one?

"It was last year," Kise nodded, looking up. "I dated this girl for a month… then I caught her cheating outside of school and immediately broke up with her."

"How sad," Midorima pushed up his glasses. '_I am not going to go through all of that drama, am I_?' he asked himself in his mind.

"Who would cheat over a guy like you, Kise?" Aomine grinned. "You're just making it up, aren't you?"

Kise laughed, "No, it's true. It wasn't a very good experience and I didn't want to tell you guys about it at all… but now you know." He blinked about the experience he had. Some people mentioned their first love does not have a good ending. So if his friends do go out with one of Tomimura's friends, it may not end well. This was probably something Akashi was trying to hint at.

"Should we tell Kagamin too?" Momoi tapped her chin, smiling mischievously.

"He did say he was interested," Kise nodded, completely forgetting about him. "I'll tell him what we talked about then."

Midorima sighed for a few seconds. "…If this is all, then I will be returning home," he said, his right foot moving outwards.

"Yes, this is all," Akashi told everyone. "Don't forget to stay connected. And train well for Inter-High."

Aomine stood up from where he was sitting and smirked. "I'm totally ready for that," he said. Looking at Kuroko, he raised his fist. "I'll see you and Kagami there, Tetsu."

Kuroko smiled and took his fist to hit Aomine's. "Yes," he only said.

Staring at everyone, Murasakibara blinked when Momoi took Kuroko's arm. "Tetsu-kun, Aomine-kun and I are going to go for a walk," she smiled. "Anyone want to come along too?"

No one really answered.

"Satsuki, I just gave Tetsu my farewell words of the day," Aomine flattened his eyes at her.

"I'm off then," Midorima turned around first and walked away.

Kise chuckled as Aomine, Momoi, and Kuroko went around the water fountain together. "I guess I'll be heading off too," he looked to Akashi and Murasakibara. "I'll call you guys either tonight or tomorrow."

"Okayyy," Murasakibara nodded. Akashi closed his eyes and turned the other way, walking off with Murasakibara following him. "Bye for now, Kise-chin."

"Later!" Kise waved happily. He stood there and watched them walk away for a moment. Then he looked at his watch on his left wrist and smiled. "Good. I'll make it in time for the photo shoot," he quickly took off down south.

The beginning was just warming now. Kise wondered which one of his friends would like a girl first.


	3. You Should Come Along

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 3 was uploaded on October 25, 2013

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 3: You Should Come Along**

In the afternoon, Tomimura just entered the Gun Room and a gunshot went off a couple of times. She looked around the small area and only saw two other girls around. They both were shooting at the target signs and the bullets holes were all within the circle. Tomimura took a deep breath and started to walk up to the counter by one of the girls.

The girl she was standing next to had long and wavy blond hair, which covered her whole back. After the gunshots stopped, the blond smiled to Tomimura with her blue eyes sparkling. "Tomi-chan, you're late," she said before giggling. "The others had already left."

"Oh well," Tomimura shrugged. "The bus was late and then a black cat crossed my path." The blonde winked and went to reload her gun. "Why are you and Seki still doing here?"

With a dull expression, the second girl in the room stepped back to see them. Her jet-black hair length reached down to her lower back and over her brown eyes was her pinkish-purple glasses. "Sakai said she wanted to wait for you," the black haired pointed to the blonde.

Sakai brushed her blond bangs behind her ears and winked to Tomimura. "I thought you'd be lonely if we all left," Sakai smiled innocently. Positioning her hands on the small black gun, Sakai made sure her long nails were not chipped. And then she fired two bullets. "And I also felt something good will happen if I stay here a little longer."

Frowning a little, Tomimura waited for a second as Sakai fired away. Looking over to the black haired girl, whose name was Seki, she seemed to be preparing to leave. "Seki…?" Tomimura called quietly.

The black haired girl put her gray bag over her shoulder and blinked to Tomimura. "Yes?" she asked.

While Sakai fired the last of the bullets, Tomimura slightly heard her own phone ringing. "Oh, sorry, hold on," Tomimura said, reaching into her dark blue bag. Seki nodded and leaned on the counter as Tomimura looked at the Caller ID. Making a face, she answered, "What is it now, Kise-san?"

Both girls curiously looked at Tomimura. On the phone, Kise sounded excited. "All of my friends are coming!" he told Tomimura. "There are about seven of us guys and one girl."

Tomimura squinted her eyes, "Okay…"

"You're coming too, right?" Kise chuckled.

The room was quiet. "What, you're saying I should go to your mixer?" Tomimura narrowed her eyes at the ground.

"Mixer?!" Sakai jumped to face Tomimura on the phone. Her blond haired seemed to move in excitement as well. "Can I come?!"

"Who was that?" Kise questioned.

Tomimura hissed, "Why should I go?"

"I'm planning on going too, and you should come along," Kise told her.

A little upset, she said, "THIS was not a part of the deal." And then she hung up on her and turned her phone off.

The blond haired girl ran to her side and took her arm. "Tomi-chan?" Seki giggled, hugging her arm closely.

Puzzled, Seki blinked, "A mixer, huh? That's not like you, Tomimura."

"Okay, listen," Tomimura pried the blonde away. The two girls faced her silently and waited for her to continue. "I ran into this guy on the streets, we were in the same class last year. He's asking me to find a few of my friends to go to a mixer with his group of friends."

"I'll go! I'll go!" Sakai, the blonde, waved her hand up high. She wore a very bright smile, which reminded Tomimura of Kise all of the sudden.

Seki pushed up her pinkish-purple glasses. "Count me out," she said. "You girls should know I'm not interested in relationships like that. Not very fond of them one bit."

Tomimura made a bored face before saying, "Seki, it's not that you're not interested in relationships… you just like girls more."

"As a bi-sexual, I like both boys and girls," she stated, folding her arms to her chest. Her glasses flashed the ceiling light for a second when she looked away. "Male, female, I value both equally."

"Hehe, sure," Sakai jumped to put her arm around the black haired girl's neck. "But you never tried to talk to guys in a mixer, am I right?" Seki was quiet and expressionless. "Try some experiments and see which gender you like more. I think you should go for it!"

Thinking to herself, Tomimura nodded. "…I'm not forcing you, but Sakai does have a point," she told the black haired girl. Seki looked at her, pushing her glasses up. "Or is it just that you're afraid of talking to boys?"

"Oh!" Sakai pointed to Tomimura, smiling. "THAT has to be it! Maybe that's why Seki-chan only hangs around with us all the time!"

Seki faked a cough and kept a poker face. "Please," she elbowed Sakai away from her. Sakai removed her arm off and Seki looked at the blonde. "That's half of the truth."

"Yeah, me and Seki-chan will go for sure!" Sakai said to Tomimura. She started to jump with a little with excitement. "She and I can learn even more about each other at the mixer too!"

Seki grunted, but could not utter a word.

"…Good idea, I guess," Tomimura shrugged with flat eyes. Now she just had to ask the other girls. "Sakai, do you know if the other girls would want to go as well?"

The blond tapped on her chin, looking away for a second. "Everyone, but Koizumi, maybe," she nodded to herself. "Because we all know Koizumi's an introvert, right? But she does easily fall in love too…"

Tomimura blinked and said, "Okay, I'll give them a call to see if the other girls would be interested."

"Okay!" Sakai nodded, smiling innocently.

Seki faked another cough, "Hey, I seriously don't want to go. I feel awkward."

Sakai hugged her, squealing happily. "Be brave, Seki-chan! It's just a mixer! You'll be fine!" she cheered loudly. "A mixer is where friends get together so a shy person like you can feel comfortable while observing which guy you'll like!"

"I'm not shy, Sakai," Seki blinked to her.

While the two were talking to each other, Tomimura faced away from them and sighed. '_Well, I got two girls now_,' she blinked. Remembering that Kise wanted at least seven, she would have to call the other girls soon. '…_And I'm not going go to the mixer_.' She made an annoyed face.

"Oh, Tomi-chan!" Sakai appeared right in front of her. Tomimura backed away a bit and Sakai was smiling in a strange way. "Our boss hired this interestingly-looking guy into our group today," she told her.

"Okay," Tomimura raised an eyebrow. It was just news to her. Maybe nothing important.

Seki rolled her eyes and could only make a disapproving face.

"You should meet him," Sakai walked to Tomimura's side and took her arm. "He's here until dark when we're all here together."

Tomimura frowned as Sakai dragged her to the other door on the other side of the room. While they both left Seki, Tomimura said, "He must be young for you to be this excited… am I right?"

"Ho ho, maybe?" Sakai smirked. Just when they were almost at the door, it was opened from the other side and the two girls stopped walking. The one who opened it stood where he was and looked at them through his glasses. "Oh, Imayoshi-san!" Sakai waved to him. "I was just talking about you!"

He walked in and closed the door. His smile spread across his face as he took notice of Tomimura. "Is she the one who didn't attend today's session?" he inquired.

Tomimura was a bit red with shame and Sakai giggled. "Yeah, this is Tomimura Mizuki!" the blonde hugged her.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Imayoshi Shouichi," he held out his hand.

When Sakai pulled herself away, Tomimura went and shook his hand. "…Why did they hire you?" she asked boldly. His expression made him seem almost like a creep.

He smirked, "Oh, they hired me because of my looks, but not mostly, of course. And I thought it would be fun to keep a big secret from my friends." As simple as that sounded, Tomimura could only stared at him seriously. Sakai was giggling in the background. "Well, its time to close this place down… are you girls ready to head back home?"

"Yep!" Sakai nodded to him.

Imayoshi smiled to Tomimura and said, "Thanks for showing up though. It shows how serious you are, Tomimura."

"Of course," she crossed her arms in front of her. "…Looking forward to work with you, Imayoshi."

"Right back at you," he nodded once, walking pass her. "Though, I haven't practice with a gun yet, but I'll catch up."

Before Sakai left Tomimura's side, she stopped when Tomimura murmured, "I don't like the way he looks."

Sakai laughed and put her arm around Tomimura's shoulders. "You're so funny!" she joyfully said and begun taking her friend's hand to dance around with her.

And then that night…

In the small kitchen, soft and slow music was playing from a CD player, which was set in the corner.

Tomimura took a small pot over to the sink and turned on the water. Just as the water filled halfway in the pot, her cell phone on the counter started to ring. Setting the pot in the sink and turning off the water, Tomimura dried her hands on a small towel nearby for a few seconds and took the phone. Looking at the Caller ID, it was from Kise again. She stared at his name tiredly, long enough before answering.

"Hey, Tomimura!" he happily greeted. She did not answer and took the small pot over to the stove. "…Tomimura?"

She turned on the heat on the stove and headed for the refrigerator. "I'm here," she said, opening the refrigerator.

"Did you do what you promised me?" he questioned. There was a sound of a closing door in the background on his side.

"Yes, I did," she answered unwillingly. Grabbing a round cabbage out, she shut the refrigerator closed. "But there's a problem…"

"What is it?"

Tomimura put the cabbage in the sink and put the cell phone between her ear and shoulder. "I have only three girls who were… willingly enough to go," she said, turning on the water. "The rest are quite busy this week." She had begun rinsing the cabbage.

"Huh," Kise seemed to be thinking to himself. "…How about next Sunday? Will they all be free by then?"

She rolled her eyes, as she turned off the water. "One of them won't be free by then," she told him.

"Hmm," he said and had a short pause.

Tomimura turned off the water. Facing to the left, she grabbed a flat cutting board that was hanging from the side of the cabinet. Going over to the kitchen island, she put the cutting board down with the cabbage over it. "Kise-san?" she wondered if he was still there.

"How about having two different mixer at different times?"

She stopped what she was doing and forced her frown in. "What?" she asked.

He laughed before saying, "Midorima-cchi mentioned he can't come to the mixer this week or next Sunday. Something about a bad day for Cancers. Then I thought maybe we should divide the mixer up to make it flexible for everyone." And with another pause, he inquired, "You're coming too, right?"

"I was going to say yes, but," she glared at the wall in front of her. "Are you saying that I have to go to TWO mixers now?"

"Yep!"

Tomimura wanted to kick the island, but just slapped her own face. "Why do I have to go twice? WHY?" she questioned mostly to herself.

"Because they're your friends and the guys are my friends," he tried to reason positively. "We both have to watch their progress closely! Don't you think?"

She went to a drawer and took out a big knife. "That's not even a good point," she sighed. Heading back to the island, she harshly cut the cabbage in halve loudly.

"…Tomimura?" he sounded a bit scared. "You're not… angry, are you?"

"I'm just peachy," she whispered loudly. Setting the knife down, she turned to lean back on the island. He was silent on the other end and she sighed again. '_I must really sound unwomanly right now_,' she thought, scratching her cheek.

Kise chuckled softly, "If that's how you feel… sorry."

She blinked and was a little surprised. "I-I can live with it," she shrugged to herself. "So I'm fine going with your idea, Kise-san."

"Really?!" he sounded all happy again and she flattened her eyes "You'll do this for me?!"

"Yes," she mumbled with an upside down smile.

He laughed and something fell in the background. "Oh, okay, so then…" he uttered, clearing his throat. "I'll let my friends know about the two different mixers then. Should we talk about where we all can meet up at?"

'_Is he that excited for his friends_?' she rubbed her face in annoyance. "Look, I don't care where. Just let me know. My friends who agreed to go are ready at any time. As for my other friends for the second mixer, we can talk about it anther time. Sounds good?"

"Awesome!" he said happily. "Then I'll go and let them know right now!"

She blinked slowly, "Yeah. Bye."

"Good night, Tomimura!"

Hanging up first, she set the phone down and rested her hands on the island. She slightly leaned forward with a sigh. "…There's no going back now," she murmured tiredly. Hopefully Kise could get something out of this mixer, even though Tomimura was not expecting anything from it.

Grabbing the knife, she set the sharp edge on top end of the cabbage. Beginning to cut thin layers, she then realized something. '_It's highly possible Sakai will like Kise-san_…' she tiredly made a face. '_Or maybe even one of Kise-san's friends_.'

That would mean Kise might be around her life a lot longer than she thought.


	4. Was I Cool?

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 4 was uploaded on October 30, 2013

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Was I Cool?**

It was now Wednesday. Tomimura did not get a call from Kise yet. She wondered what the plan was and simply hoped the mixer would be on the upcoming Sunday.

Outside of a certain high school, Tomimura was standing near the school gates. She waited with patience while staring at the three-story building's front door. Students walked by and they all minded their own business as she did the same. After a long moment, Tomimura raised her head when she heard her name being called.

"Tomimura, sorry," Seki rushed up to her. She was wearing her black school uniform with a green ribbon. Stopping in front of her friend, Seki looked at Tomimura up and down. Her uniform was black, her skirt striped with red. "Oh, so that's how your school uniform look like," Seki continued to observe, pushing up her pinkish-purple glasses.

"Anyway," Tomimura waved her hand, trying to get Seki's full attention. "You still need help with your little after school work?"

The black haired girl nodded, "Yes. Thanks for coming." Taking a step to the side as she turned to the left, she gestured with her hand, "Let's go."

Waiting for Seki to lead, Tomimura followed by her side. They walked through the front doors and through the lobby. "So, Seki, we're just going to wipe the gym floor clean after whatever it is they're doing, right?"

"Yes," Seki nodded. The two girls were not looking at each other as they continued to walk. "And I'm sorry for asking your help with such a lowly job."

Tomimura smiled a little, "It's fine."

"…I'm very thankful," Seki lowered her eyes, scratching her cheek. "Since my school lacks helpers and mom is making me do the groceries today."

"Understandable," Tomimura nodded to her.

Seki looked at her and had a half smile on her face. "We still have some time, so let's go watch them," she suggested.

Nodding, Tomimura wondered what she meant by going to 'watch' them. The two were quiet along the way and they started to hear a crowd cheering. Tomimura heard shoes squeaking and a ball bouncing around. Nearing the gym, Seki lead her to a smaller hallway that had stairs leading up to the gym on the upper floor. As soon as they entered the room filled with heat and sweat, Seki picked a spot for them to wait and both leaned on the railings.

"Eh?" Tomimura squinted her eyes, getting a chill behind her back. A tall blonde had just dunked and landed on the ground harshly. He wiped the sweat on his chin and ran across the room to his teammates. "…Kise-san?"

"Who?" Seki looked around slowly. "The guy who wanted to do the mixer, right? He's here right now?"

Tomimura sighed, "Uh… yeah…" She recalled that Kise had a practice game, but she had no idea it was at Seki's school.

Just after a few seconds, the team of Kaijō High called for a time out near the end of the third quarter. Kise was sitting on the bench and just opened his water bottle. While he lifted his head up to drink the water, his eyes caught sight of Tomimura. It was unexpected and he choked and threw some water out of his mouth. "T… Tomimura?" he waved happily while his teammates all gave him a look.

Seeing that Kise was getting off of his seat, Seki quickly walked away. Tomimura snapped her head to her friend, but Seki had already gone through the door they had entered. Kise walked to the wall where Tomimura stood and she slowly looked back at him. "Kise-san," she nodded to him, putting up a normal face.

"Did you come all the way here to see me?" he pointed to himself, smiling cheerfully. "How did you know that I was here?"

"I'm only here to help a friend after the game," she clarified. "I had no idea you'd be here."

Kise chuckled, "Oh, too bad. I thought you were here for me…" She looked away without a word. "How long were you watching?"

With a glance at his smile, she replied, "I just saw that last dunk."

"So… was I cool?" Kise grinned happily.

Tomimura stared at him blankly. "N…Not really," she shrugged. Of course, she lied. He jumped so high and his strength was unbelievable. '_I wonder if his friends are good too_?' she thought questionably.

He sighed at the ground when she was not moved by his duck, but then looked back up at her. "Well then, I'll just have to work harder!" he gave her a thumps up. "I'm even more fired up for the last quarter now!"

She blinked and he turned around quickly. "Wait, Kise-san," she called. He looked back with a small smile. "Can you just… focus on the game and try not to look so cool?" She did not want him to lose because of trying so hard to impress her. It made no sense and she would rather have him work harder for the game.

He grinned again and his stare became rather breathtaking. She pursed her lips together to keep her mind sane. "What?" he chuckled. "I can do both at the same time. I'm doing this for my teammates and for you."

"Umm…" she blinked.

"This isn't my school and my fans aren't here," he laughed lightly. "So cheer for me!"

His mind was rather simple minded. What she did not understand was why his fans were not here. Watching him taking his leave, Tomimura noticed Seki was back. "I see you're still avoiding meeting new people," Tomimura softly chuckled.

Seki pushed up her glasses and looked at her. "Not if I have to," she told her proudly, standing next to her. "So, that was Kise. Tall and blond. Sakai's type for sure."

"I know," Tomimura agreed, looking back to the game. '_Oh_,' she frowned. She forgot to ask Kise if the mixer was going to be on a Sunday. Maybe he would call her about it soon.

The bell rung and the fourth quarter started. The two girls watched the game. Time went by. As observing as they were, they noticed Kise was copying the opposing team. He was very fast and showed no mercy, only making the point gap bigger. The room roared and some girls in the room were screaming for Kise.

"It's almost time," Seki patted on Tomimura's shoulder. "Let's go down and prepare for cleaning."

"Right," Tomimura looked at Kise one more time before walking off together with her friend.

When the bell signaled the end of the fourth quarter, Kise and his teammates cheered for victory. People clapped. It was a good game. Kise turned his attention over to the upper floor, but he did not see Tomimura. He looked around a little more and wondered where she went.

Soon afterwards, Kaijō High's basketball team took their leave and was out on the streets. Kise took his phone and begun calling Tomimura. She picked up right after the third tone. "Tomimura, did you see my game until the end?" he smiled happily.

On the other side, he heard some kind of wheel rolling on the floor. "I had things to take care off," she replied in a flat tone. "But I heard your team won. Congratulations."

He was disappointed, but at least her voice meant it. "Thanks," he chuckled. "What are you doing now?"

"I'm cleaning with a friend," she answered.

"Oh, okay," he nodded.

Another voice came on, but a bit more distant, "Hello, Kise."

"…That was Seki," Tomimura told him. "She'll be joining us for the first mixer."

Kise smiled, "Cool! Hello, Seki-san!"

"…He says hello, Seki," Tomimura slowly said. While Seki had no comment, Tomimura asked, "And about the first mixer. Have you and your friends decided?"

"Yeah," Kise said. His group stopped at a red light and waited together. "There'll be the five of us. This coming Sunday at noon was preferred. We'll meet in front of the Shiroki Mall."

"Good to hear," she said. "Then I'll let my friends know about this."

Feeling excited, Kise patted a teammate next to him. "I can't wait!" he happily announced.

In the gym, Tomimura and Seki were wiping the floor with a mop. "Kise-san, if that is all…" Tomimura blinked, gradually moving the phone away from her ear.

"Yeah," Kise said. "I'll see you and the girls on Sunday. Later."

"Bye," she then clicked the End Call and closed her phone. Looking to her friend, who stared back at her, she said, "The first mixer is set on Sunday."

Seki nodded and folded her arms to chest, "I wonder what I should wear…"

"It's just a mixer," Tomimura reminded as if it was not important at all. "You don't have to think too much about it, Seki."

Pushing up her glasses with a smile, Seki had a moment of silence. "If you say so," she looked away. "Though, I'm sure Sakai will go all out and dress up with make up and so forth."

Tomimura smiled a little and nodded in agreement.

The sun was setting in the sky and the girls were finished with their work. On the streets, they both separate their ways. "Thanks for the help again, Tomimura," Seki waved when she turned. She gripped on her black bag while doing so.

"You owe me," Tomimura told her.

"I'll remember," Seki called, walking further away.

Taking her turn down the right side, Tomimura went on by herself. Getting comfortable her with dark blue bag on her left shoulder, she made her way back home.

It took about twenty minutes by foot. Tomimura opened a gate to a small one-story house and unlocked the front door. Turning on the light switch, she closed the door and went straight for the CD player in the kitchen. Setting it on loud, a song was playing with a female singing. It was a mix CD.

Standing there and staring at the CD player, she felt lost all of the sudden. Sighing, she wanted to forget that feeling. Setting her bag on the counter, she took out a small black gun and checked it to be sure it was on the safety mode.

The house creaked and Tomimura pretended not to hear it. Normally the house would creak. She only pretended the sound waves of the music was creating some kind of vibration to the house. That would only explain the creaking.

Taking her cell phone out from her bag, and setting the gun down, she waited to see if someone would call her. The music went on and on and then the next song played.

"I could always call anyone instead of waiting," Tomimura talked to herself. None of her friends would call to chat. They were not that close, or so Tomimura believed. '_And Kise-san already told me the plan for Sunday… he probably stopped bothering me for a while_.'

Of all times, she actually hoped he would call. But as time gone by, no one called that night.


	5. Our First Mixer

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 5 was uploaded on October 31, 2013

***To everyone**: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! XD I did my best to upload the this chapter as soon as possible. And because I did so, please don't expect the next one to come out so soon. I usually think it would take a while, but sometimes I may update quicker than I think.

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Our First Mixer**

It was now Sunday. Kise was practically skipping when he got off the bus. He followed a road with a crowd who were also heading straight for the Shiroki Mall. The wide building had three floors and there were a lot of glass windows, so you could see people walking in the halls of each floor.

The place was filled up and the sunray was warm, the breeze cool. It was a good day.

Seeing Kise was the first one at the door, he decided to wait outside. All of the benches nearby were taken so he stood and leaned against a pole. "Our first mixer," he hummed happily. He could not wait for everyone to arrive from their cities. It made him even happier that his friends would go through the trouble to come to his city.

"Hey, you alone?" a guy's voice was close by.

Kise glanced to the right and saw three young men circling around a girl with long dark brown hair, which was not tied. She was wearing a black tight pants and a short baby blue sleeve.

She smiled uneasily, backing away. "Um, I'm waiting for my friends," she told the three guys. They were quite good-looking, but the way they dressed described them differently.

"Why not hang with us?" one of the guys smiled, gesturing to his friend.

"Ah, haha…" the girl smiled when the guy to her right took her arm. She snatched her arm away. "No, I can't miss the mixer."

Kise blinked. He watched closer, noticing the girl's eyes were brown. Around her left shoulder was her sky blue purse.

"What a coincidence, we're going to a mixer too," the guys grinned at each other.

"Oh, cool," the girl smiled, backing away again. They walked to her and she held up her hands to stop them from coming too close. "I see you guys are persistence…"

'_Looks like trouble_,' Kise finally moved his feet.

Before Kise even entered the scene, a girl shouted happily, "Yama-chan!"

Kise stopped and saw a long blond haired girl jumping on the dark brown haired girl's back.

It was Sakai and she wore a one-piece white dress with a light green bag around her right shoulder. "Looks these guys are trying to pick you up," Sakai giggled, hugging her the girl from behind. She looked at the three guys childishly, "Sorry, but go find some other girl."

"Aw, but you girls are cuter," the middle guy chuckled.

"Shoo, shoo!" Sakai waved. The three guys said nothing more and walked away willingly. Sakai laughed a little and twirled the dark brown haired girl around to face her. "Yama-chan's so defenseless in a crowd!"

"Sakai-chan, you saved me," her friend laughed with relief.

Kise smiled and looked away. Good thing the girls were all right. Now that he was thinking about it, a girl walking alone would be dangerous. He covered his mouth with a sweat drop. '_I hope Tomimura's friends won't get into any kind of danger_…' he prayed.

About seconds later, Sakai spotted Kise leaning his back against the pole. "Yama-chan! Look!" she tugged her friend's arm. "There a hot guy right here!" Before the other girl could utter a word, Sakai started to giggle. "Let's go and pick him up!"

"And ditch our friends?" Yama-chan questioned, looking unsure.

"Hehe… maybe?" Sakai stick her tongue out childishly. "But I was thinking maybe he would like to come with us!"

"Mm, I don't know," Yama-chan looked at her blankly. "What if he's waiting for a girlfriend?"

Sakai sighed heavily, "Oh, yeah. Hot guys are always taken, huh?"

Giggling, she nodded, "Yep!"

Kise could hear the girls rather clearly. And he only thought, '_They don't recognize me in magazines_?'

"Oi, Kise!" the voice of Kagami called.

The blond haired guy smiled and turned around to look for him. Then he saw Kagami walking with Kuroko and Momoi. "Hey!" Kise waved to them.

"Eh, Kise?" Sakai blinked. She was already walking to him, in hopes of just talking to him, and stood next to him. Which surprised him because she almost looked like she appeared out of nowhere. "Are you THE Kise, Tomi-chan was talking about?"

With a little confusion, Kise looked at her and then it hit him. "Oh, you mean Tomimura?" he beamed at her. "Yeah, I'm Kise. Kise Ryouta."

She smiled right back and clapped her hands. "Aw, this is so coollll!" she squealed. She took his hand and shook it quickly. "I'm Sakai Rin, so please to meet you in person! Hehe!"

Kise nodded, "Right back at you." He saw the dark brown haired girl walked to them and smiled over to her. "And you must be Tomimura's friend too."

The girl politely bowed, "Yes. My name is Yamauchi Takara."

"Oh, Ki-chan is already hitting it off with two girls?" Momoi smirked. The two groups were now together and stood in an odd circle.

Kagami rubbed the back of his head as Kise laughed at Momoi. "Not really," Kise told the pink haired girl. "We're just introducing each other."

"Save it for the mixer then," Momoi chuckled. Yamauchi just noted Kuorko's presence with a surprised face and he nodded to her. "So, who's the girl who started the mixer with Ki-chan?" Momoi slightly step next to Kuroko.

Yamauchi smiled, "Tomimura-chan's not here yet."

Kuroko looked at his watch and blinked. "It's almost time though," he said, hoping everyone would make it in time.

Now noticing Kuroko, Sakai screamed a little and covered her mouth. "Geez, you scared me!" she laughed nervously. "I didn't see you there!"

Yamauchi blinked, '_Was he always there though_?'

Getting herself back together, Sakai counted the guys with her eyes and inquired, "We're missing one more guy from your side then, Kise-kun?"

"I'm sure Akashi-cchi should be here any time by now," Kise grinned.

"Aw!" Sakai had a short laugh in high pitch. "Akashi-CCHI? So cute!"

Kise chuckled a bit awkwardly. Yamauchi winked and waved her hand to have them dismiss Sakai's random outburst.

Kagami snorted, "Sure, it sounds cute, but Akashi's nowhere there."

"Mm, of course you'd say that," Sakai giggled, jumping in her spot. "You're a boy after all!" Kagami gave her a frown.

"Oh, you'll know it when you see Akashi," Momoi smiled a little with a sweat drop on her head.

"I am here." Everyone snapped their heads to Akashi, who was just walking up behind Kuroko. He first gave Kagami a look and Kagami ignored him. Akashi had a crocked smile as he inquired, "Is this everyone?"

Sakai stared at Akashi and tugged Yamauchi's arm. "Yama-chan… He looks… different from cute," she said rather loudly.

"Ah, um!" Yamauchi nervously looked at her and Akashi back and forth. She bowed to Akashi, who seemed unfazed by any of their actions. "Sorry, Sakai-chan loves to let her thoughts out loud!" Yamauchi said, brushing her bangs behind her ear as her hand was shaking.

Akashi's stare must have affected Yamauchi since she seemed so panicky. With a light chuckle, Akashi glanced to Kise. "Well, is this everyone, Ryouta?" he asked again.

Kise smiled, "I think there's Tomimura and one more girl."

"Tomimura-chan and Seki-chan, sir," Yamauchi informed, bowing to Akashi again. "From where we are, those two should meet along the way."

Kuorko and Kagami looked around at the same time.

"Speaking of which," Sakai smiled. "I see them right over there!"

Again, behind Kuroko and Akashi, they all turned around and saw two girls walking together expressionlessly. Their choices of clothes were rather plain. They were just about some yards away now and Seki first saw Akashi as his gaze met hers. She went behind Tomimura while they continued to walk.

Without looking back, Tomimura blinked, "Uh… Seki?"

She whispered, "Be careful around the redhead. He can read your every mood. Don't let him find out about our secret identities, you hear?"

"…You got the chills?"

Seki pushed up her glasses and buried her mouth against Tomimura's shoulder. "Yes, indeed I did," she whispered again. "He's a formidable opponent, but not one for us to point our guns at."

"O…kay," Tomimura made a dry face. There was no need for a warning.

"Tomimura!" Kise ran towards her and she stopped walking and Seki bumped her nose into Tomimura's shoulder. "I'm glad you're here!"

"Hi, Kise-san," she said, giving him a blank look.

Seki stopped walking and her eyes looked at everyone. "…Aren't we missing one person?" she inquired. Kuroko raised his hand and Seki choked on her saliva when she just saw him standing by Momoi.

The whole group got together and entered the Shiorki Mall together. Because it was noon, they were going to head for lunch. The first to suggest was Sakai. "Let's go and find a restaurant. Anybody like Chinese food?" Sakai walked backwards, smiling at everyone cheerfully.

And they went for it.

Since there were nine of them, they actually got a private room. It was small, but there were ten chairs around the circular table. Ancient paintings hung on the walls and pots of plants were in each four corners.

The first to grab a seat was Akashi, since he somehow entered the room first. When everyone picked their seats, the four boys were on one side and the other five girls on the other. From Akashi's right sat Kise, Kagami, Kuroko, Momoi, Sakai, Tomimura, Seki, and then Yamauchi. The empty tenth seat was on Yamauchi's right and then to Akashi again.

"What should I get?" Momoi smiled, looking at the menu with Kuroko. There were not enough menus so everyone was sharing.

Kise shared with Kagami while Akashi had his own menu. With Tomimura and Sakai sitting next to each other, they shared a menu and Seki and Yamauchi shared the last one.

Kagami quickly said, "I'm getting the Sesame Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Hot Pot with Beef, Teriyaki Pork—"

"Are you ordering for us?" Sakai asked, smiling brightly. He must have a lot of money to order so many dishes.

"Kagami-kun just eats a lot," Kuroko informed.

Tomimura's eyes opened wide. "Can he really finish all of it by himself?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kise chuckled.

"Okay, but Kagami," Tomimura gave him a serious expression. "It's not going to fit the whole table. You can order only five dishes."

Kagami's mouth was open and Kise closed for him. "Or Kagami-cchi can just order for more later," Kise smiled to Kagami.

While Sakai giggled when Kise said 'cchi,' Kagami shot a glare to Kise, "Five dishes are not enough though."

Akashi's chuckle was heard and Kagami frowned to him. "If you eat a lot, your suitors will lose interest in you," Akashi warned.

Kagami held his breath for a second, looking over to the girls. They were all looking at him with different kinds of expressions and the only girl who looked away was Yamauchi, who pretended she did not hear anything. Kagami sighed, "Sorry, I'm here for the mixer, not the food."

"So, Kagami," Seki slightly pushed her pinkish-purple glasses up. "You would not act like yourself for the sake of getting a girlfriend?"

"This is just a special occasion I'll make," Kagami said, looking back at the menu. The table does look smaller now that he noticed. So it was just better to give enough room for everyone else.

Seki looked serious when she said, "Then perhaps us girls should call which guys they want to date afterwards first."

Yamauchi had a blush and Tomimura flattened her eyes. Sakai raised her hand, "I'm interested in Kise-kun!"

Momoi giggled at her, "That was fast."

"Um…" Yamauchi smiled, poking Seki's arm softly. "Do we have to talk about that now?"

"Fine, let's wait until the mixer is over," Seki glanced to her.

"I'm getting egg rolls," Kuroko told them and handed the menu to Momoi.

She blinked at him, "That's all you're eating, Tetsu-kun?"

He nodded, "Yes. I'm trying to get into the habit of saving money."

While everyone got into the menu, Akashi's eyes looked up from the menu. He looked at Yamauchi first. A girl with long straight dark brown hair and brown eyes. She looked the nice type of girl, but may be a pushover.

Then his eyes wandered to Seki, the long black haired girl with glasses. She only talked when it was necessary or when she felt it was important to speak out. Overall, she was a bit quiet and had been looking quite observant. Her eyes were always studying the others too.

As for Tomimura, the girl with the neck-length light, dull brown hair. Her blue-violet eyes almost denied everything. Mysterious and stubborn. Akashi was not curious about her.

Then the last girl, the one with the wavy blond hair, Sakai. She was sitting across from Akashi. She was the type to know what she wanted and always spoke her mind. And she appeared to be the most grisliest than her other three friends.

'_They may be friends, but_…' Akashi's eyes went back to the menu. '_They do not seem to be close either_.' Friends with different personalities. It was impossible for them to be together in the first place. '_Unless they had a thing or two in common that they shared_.' Like how Akashi and his friends of the Generation of Miracles were like. Basketball connected them together. So there must be something about the girls.

Everyone was ready to order by the time a waitress walked in. Later, she left with their orders. Kise then encouraged, "Let's introduce ourselves now. And what's your hobby or… whatever you may prefer to share first."

"I'll go," Momoi volunteered. Looking to the girls, she smiled, "I'm Momoi Satsuki. I like collecting bath powders."

Sakai beamed back at her, "Hi, Momoi-chan! My name is Sakai Rin!" She looked at the boys now and giggled. "And about me, I like to dance. I don't have a teacher, so I learn them by myself."

"What kind of dance?" Kagami asked curiously.

She played with her hair and winked to him. "Mostly pop dance routines," she replied casually. "Or just dance routines."

Before anyone else would go off the topic, Akashi introduced himself, "I am Akashi Seijuurou. I love to play Shogi."

'_Seriously_?' Seki thought to herself, slightly impressed. "And I am Seki Kiriko. My hobby is reading."

"Kuroko Tetsuya," the invisible man said. He did not want to be the last one to introduce himself since the girls might forget about him. "I also like reading, Seki."

She did not smile, but said, "That's nice to know."

With happy smile, Kise shared, "I'm Kise Ryouta! I like to sing karaoke to pass time!"

'_Oh really_?' Tomimura flattened her eyes. She should have guessed that one.

Kagami was about to go next, but Yamauchi's nervously laugh stopped him. "I'm… Yamauchi Takara," she smiled. "And I like… cleaning. It helps me focus."

Not wanting to be last, Tomimura went before Kagami could utter a word. "My name is Tomimura Mizuki," she quickly said. "…And I guess I like listening to music."

Kise waved, "Maybe you know a song I like singing too!"

She looked away with a frown. "I doubt it," she whispered mostly to herself.

Kagami cleared his throat and everyone looked at him. "And I'm Kagami Taiga," he said with a grin. "I like surfing."

"NOW, let's exchange numbers!" Saiki swiftly took out a magenta cell phone. There was a charm in a shape of a white snowflake tied to it. Everyone stared at her for a moment and she laughed, "Aw, no one? What if there was an emergency? You may never know what happens."

"I guess that's a good enough reason," Kagami shrugged.

She beamed at him, "Thanks, Kagami-kun!"

Seki faked a cough, "Sakai, let's wait until the mixer is over." Sakai sighed back into her seat, easily listening to Seki's suggestion.

"Well," Momoi smiled, looking around the table. "What should we talk about now? Should we just do an Q and A?"

Akashi smiled, "Sure. I have one question for the girls."

"Just one?" Sakai almost snorted, looking at him across the table.

"What is the one thing that you girls have in common?" Akashi inquired with a smirk.

The girls appeared to be all stumped, but Seki remained her cool. "We actually into horseback riding," Seki answered him, pushing up her glasses.

"Wow, seriously?" Kise beamed. "Akashi-cchi actually horse rides too!"

Kagami then asked, "Which one of you girls is the slowest on the horse?"

Seki gave him a serious look. "Ha, that'll be Sakai—"

The blond haired girl pushed Tomimura to reach for Seki. "Don't tell them my weakness, Seki-chan!" she pouted with small tears in her eyes.

"Weakness is good," Seki tiled her body away from Sakai's reach. "Just get better at it and you'll brag in no time." Sakai whined and Tomimura flattened her face while pushing Sakai back in her seat.

'_They all horse ride_?' Akashi was surprised, but put up an expressionless face.

Momoi was smiling with amusement. "Sakai-chan's really energetic," she commented.

"Of course," Sakai giggled, facing Momoi.

Yamauchi smiled, wanting to say something, "Let's talk about what we're scared of the most. Tomimura-chan here is scared of ghosts."

"Hey," Tomimura hissed over to her.

Kuroko pointed to Kagami, who jumped. "Kagami-kun is scared of ghosts too," he told everyone.

Sakai laughed when Kagami looked like he was going to kill Kuroko. "Not only a couple of us share the same things we like doing, but also our fears?" Sakai clapped her hands once. "Who else is scared of ghosts?"

"You shouldn't be scared of things that aren't real," Akashi said. Everyone's eyes turned to him and he smiled. "You should be more scared of the things that are real and solid."

Tomimura nodded with her eyes closed. "That's why I pretend there's a huge spider behind me," she said. "That's how I forget my fear of ghosts when I think something is following me."

Kise laughed, "What, really? That's rather nice tactic for you, Tomimura."

"Ghosts are real enough!" Kagami nearly exclaimed, shivering. "Let's stop talking about it now! Something else! Someone, change the topic!" The way he was shouting seemed to scare Yamauchi because she was slightly sliding back in her seat.

Momoi giggled, "Okay then… what kind of type are you all looking for?" Everyone was quiet and stared at each other. While they did not answer yet, Momoi touched her cheek and slightly leaned towards Kuroko. "This guy here… he's my type," she smiled rather heavenly.

"Oh, you two are a couple then?" Yamauchi inquired.

While Momoi was in her own world, Kuroko had a dry stare. Seki looked at them both and said, "A one-sided love?"

"My type of girl, huh?" Kise smirked. He looked at the girls carefully and said, "I would like a girl who won't tie me down."

"Oh, then there are about four possible candidates for you," Seki pushed up her glasses that flashed. The three girls looked at Seki at the same time.

Kise blinked, "Really? All four of you here, right now?"

"Of course not," Seki said with a small smile.

"Then who?" Kise asked.

Seki replied, "There are two girls you hadn't met yet, but there's always Yamauchi and Tomimura right here." At the same time Yamauchi was blushing, Tomimura just slapped her face to hide herself.

"Oh, I wonder whom I'll choose," Kise rubbed his chin, smirking at Tomimura and Yamauchi.

Sakai pouted and said, "I won't tie you down, Kise-kun!"

The subject the group was discussing changed when Kuroko's egg rolls came in.


	6. What Was She Blushing About?

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 6 was uploaded on November 1, 2013

***To the GUEST who reviewed for Chapter 5**: Thank you for reviewing! And one thing, who's Ryo-chan…? XD Do you mean Sakurai Ryo? Because I don't think Sakai is like him… unless you meant the other OC who was apologizing in the last chapter. If you were talking about another Ryo, I'm assuming this person has not appeared in the Anime yet. So far, I only had seen 2-3 episodes of the second season. And now I would assume, this Ryo-chan already appeared in the manga. I haven't seen the manga yet (but I saw a bit of Akashi in the manga and read a few spoilers online). So, I'm sorry if any of my OCs ended up like someone from the Anime/manga. I don't mean for that to happen.

***And to everyone else who may be reading**: I said not to expect a chapter so soon and I didn't think I would update Chapter 6 right on the next day. Now I'm serious... Don't expect the next one to come any sooner! (I only rushed because I have two new reviewers that cheered me up.)

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting _

* * *

**Chapter 6: What Was She Blushing About?**

'_This mixer seems meaningless_,' Tomimura was thinking to herself. Everyone's dishes were at the table and they were all chatting. Sakai was doing most of the talking and Yamauchi would comment kindly. Both Seki and Tomimura had not uttered a word for a while now.

Tomimura had tuned them out for a while and once heard Kise calling her, but she pretended she was thinking too hard. But then her ears picked up when Akashi said, "You may act pretty innocent, but inside you're simply making yourself look good to make the others look bad."

Standing up abruptly, Sakai said, "What a horrible thing to say! You don't even know me!"

Down to his hot tea, Akashi closed his eyes halfway and said, "If you're scared of people knowing your weakness, you must be scared of them knowing your true nature."

"Oi, Akashi-cchi…" Kise whispered, looking worried.

Sakai glared at the redhead. She felt very offended. "I don't act innocent on purpose!" she told him loudly. Everyone was completely quiet now. "I'm just going with the flow!"

"You're acting like this now because what I say is true," Akashi continued to talk, his motionless eyes looking at her. He simply had enough of her faking her smiles, even though it was only half of the time. It was like she was trying hard to get what she wanted for free.

"How would you know how I feel?" she demanded. Akashi talked like he knew everything about her. It was getting her mad even more.

Kagami now looked over to Akashi, "Hey, can you stop ruining the mood?"

"You're the only one who's defending her," Akashi sneered. His eyes turned to the three girls who were Sakai's friends.

Yamauchi looked away and her heart was beating. She dare not say a word because she hated these kinds of arguments. As for Seki, she only calmly drank her cup of water with ice. And Tomimura looked like she was registering what was going on in her head.

Sakai started to tear up a bit and realized what Akashi was trying to imply. "My friends can stay out of this!" she slammed her fist on table and everyone jumped, but Akashi and Kuroko were as still as rocks. "I don't need my friends to help defend me!"

"Akashi-kun…" Momoi looked at him, worried about Sakai's feelings.

The redhead closed his eyes and was going to continue eating his tofu soup. Sakai glared harder and her right foot touched her bag under the table. Akashi smirked when he smelled her murder intent.

"Akashi, does it make you feel good to point out people's flaws and rub it in their faces?" Tomimura inquired, putting her fork down by her unused chopsticks.

He opened his eyes and everyone looked at her. She had picked up her bag and got up from her seat. Akashi replied coolly, "I simply speak of the truth. Weak people tend to bark. I just like crushing them and let them know their place."

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko narrowed his eyes to him.

"Quiet, I'm not done talking," Akashi said, smiling to Tomimura. '_I just want to see what else these girls are hiding from us_.'

Tomimura was calm and narrowed her eyes back at him. "So, you point out people's flaws to crush them mentally?" she inquired as if he was not a human. "Have you ever wondered if there was a truth within a truth? I wonder what's the point to even try to understand them to begin with, other than letting them know their place."

Unfazed, Akashi only stared at her.

Seki then spoke, "If I was able to read a person's feelings and thoughts, I would rather make them feel better." She stood up and flicked her black hair over her shoulder.

Sakai could not stop her tears and she begun shaking. "Damn… bastard," she mumbled and started to sob.

Getting up with a sad face, Yamauchi said, "Oh, Sakai-chan…" She walked around Seki and Tomimura. Then she hugged Sakai closely with both arms. "Shh, it's okay…" Yamauchi's eyes got teary. Seeing her friends cry could easily make her cry as well.

Kagami frowned, "Akashi, we're here to get to know each other. Not make girls cry."

Kise nervously smiled when Tomimura looked at him. "Kise-san," Tomimura said, gripping on her bag over her shoulder. "I don't know what my friends think at this moment, but I don't want to see you and Akashi again. And I would rather not let my other friends meet any of your friends either."

"Tomimura," Kise started to stand up. He wanted to apologize and at the same time he wanted the girls to stay as well.

Her eyes turned cold, "Our world is going to grow apart eventually. We shouldn't meet anymore. It would be best if we never knew you."

Akashi's eyes slightly twitched. She had meant every word that hinted something.

Seki took her bag from the ground and turned towards the door first. Tomimura looked at her other two friends, "Let's go, Sakai, Yamauchi."

Looking at the girls, Kuroko quickly stood up and bowed while they grabbed for their bags on the floor. "I'm sorry for today," he said. Standing up straight with a blank face, he added, "But… I do hope we meet again."

"Yeah," Momoi kindly said to the girls.

Kagami wanted to say something nice too, but Seki had already left the room and the girls soon followed, disappearing through the door together. "Urg," Kagami gave Akashi a look.

Ignoring him, Akashi simply went back to his food. There was silence. No one dared to speak to Akashi.

Kise sat back down and sighed heavily. '…_How did it turn out like this_?' he asked himself, looking up at the ceiling.

"Ryouta."

The blonde slightly jumped, "Y-Yes?!"

Akashi glanced to him, "…I haven't changed much, have I?"

"Hell yeah," Kagami scolded. Akashi gave him a deadly look and Kagami continue to talk. "You always act high and mighty! Why did you come all the way from Kyoto for? Try to be a little nicer if you're planning to get a girlfriend!"

Momoi hissed, "Kagamin!"

"Heh," Akashi smiled. Kagami returned him weird look. "I see you still talk back at me."

"But," Kuroko blinked. Akashi looked over to him. "Kagami-kun's right. I would say the same thing…" he honestly thought. "And remember the time you mentioned Kise-kun said we lacked romance? Did you not come here to learn about it?"

The eyes of Kuroko were empty, but at least there were meaning in them. Momoi lightly chuckled at Kuroko's kind words and Kise rubbed the back of his head, feeling awkward. Kagami snorted and went to finish the last plate of his food.

With a small smirk, Akashi stood up. "Should we go after them?"

Kagami choked for a second and snapped his head at them. "You're going to tell Sakai that you're sorry?!" he inquired with shock.

"I won't apologize."

"Gah," Kagami gave him a disappointed face.

"And Sakai probably won't even talk to me anymore," Akashi said, moving to push his chair in. "I think she and I are pretty even, don't you agree?"

After the girls waited for a moment to paid at the cashier, they exited the restaurant and blended in with the coming and going crowd. Tomimura walked ahead of the girls rather quickly. Seki called to her, "What's the rush, Tomimura?"

With flat eyes, Tomimura looked back as she stopped walking. "I just have a bad feeling," she said. Seki caught up to her and Tomimura looked at the other two. Sakai stopped her tears and tried to look tough. "Don't let what that guy said get to you," Tomimura smiled, patting on the blonde's shoulder.

Sakai nodded and smiled, "Yeah." Then she went to Yamauchi for a hug, "And you're as sweet as ever, Yama-chan! I love you!"

Giggling, Yamauchi said nothing and softly hugged Sakai back.

Seki pushed up her glasses, "Hey, I love you too."

"We all know you do, Seki-chan!" Sakai giggled, winking.

"Hey!" Kise was shouting.

Tomimura made a face and tugged Seki's arm, "Let's go already!"

Being the only one looking back, Sakai saw Kise rushing out of the restaurant by himself. "Kise-kun?" she smiled a little. Did he run out for her?

Having longer legs, he easily caught up to them and looked sorry. "Girls, sorry about what happened earlier," he started to say. "Akashi-cchi is always like that, but once you get to know him, you'll learn to respect him! Please don't hate him or any of us!"

Tomimura turned around and gave him a frown. "I don't hate him," she said, closing her eyes.

"I already do," Sakai blinked, pointing herself.

"Kise-san," Tomimura said, patting on Sakai's head to dismiss her remark. "You're friends with Akashi for a reason. And I'm friends with Sakai for a reason too, so I trust your judgment for Akashi. But like I have said before, our worlds are different. I don't want my or your friends to get hurt."

He smiled, "How different can it be?"

Seki faked a cough, glancing to Tomimura. "Kise, you'd be surprised," Seki said, not making eye contact.

Yamauchi smiled uneasily and said, "Well… I'm still interested to talk to the boys."

"Who?" Kise beamed.

She scratched her face, "No one in particular, but I came to this mixer in hopes of getting to know more people. And a possible boyfriend."

"This is great!" Kise gave her a big smile. The moment she admitted got him pumping. "Then wait here! The others are still paying for their lunch. They should be out anytime now! Please just wait!"

Tomimura sighed and thought, '_Great… I just wanted the mixer to end_.'

Looking back, Kise saw his friends leaving the restaurant. "Hey, guys, over here!" he waved over the crowd.

Sakai pouted, staring at Kise's back. 'Ba_-kashi is his friend_,' she told herself. Glancing to Tomimura, Sakai remembered what she said. If Akashi was Kise's friend, there must be a reason why. '_I guess I will just have to live with it_,' Sakai took a deep breath to sigh.

When the group got together again, Seki inquired to the boys, "Do you boys really want girlfriends that much that we're going to continue this mixer?"

Kagami grinned, "Maybe just a little bit." He did come all the way out here for the mixer.

Kuroko blinked when Momoi took his arm. She smiled, "It was just getting started. We can still do more things together."

"I find this pointless," Tomimura put her hand on her hip. "Can I ask who's interested in who, just so I know there's some meaning?"

All the boys were quiet. Kuroko looked emotionless, Kagami's eyes were scanning around for the others to confess first, and Kise just smiled. Tomimura frowned at them when they gave her no answer.

"I'm curious about you, Tomimura," Akashi said.

She blinked and looked at him, "Huh?"

"EHH?" Akashi's friends all turned to him.

Seki took Tomimura's arm and dragged her to the center of their circle. "Whoo, way to go, Tomimura," Seki smiled, but she sounded sarcastic.

Akashi smirked at Tomimura, "I said, I was curious about you."

"Um, Akashi, I have didn't have any expectations for the mixer," she raised her hand to him. She flattened her eyes, "I'm not interested."

"I didn't say I was interested," Akashi stated.

Sakai quickly took Kise's arm and dragged him away happily. "Then its buddy system time!" she threw a fist in the air. "Kise-kun's my partner! Where should we lead everyone?"

With Kise was chuckling; Seki went between Momoi and Kuroko. Taking both of their arms, Seki said, "Since Momoi is always hanging around Kuroko, I'll stick to them both."

"Ha… haha?" Momoi blinked as Seki locked their arms together, walking after Kise and Sakai. As for Kuroko, he simply went along with it.

Yamauchi blushed and Kagami was looking at her almost shyly. "Then that means it's us two," she smiled up at him.

Seeing her smiling made him grin happily. "Yeah, I guess so," he nodded, walking to her side.

Tomimura snapped her head when the last of her friend walked off with Kagami. '_How dare you all leave me_?!' she shot a glare.

With his hands in his pockets, Akashi stood by her side. Tomimura did not look at him and only wore a glare. He smiled and walked ahead, "Don't fall behind now, Tomimura."

She frowned and slapped her face. '_This better end soon_,' she thought, walking to stay with the group. '_How in the world did this happened_?' she asked herself in her head. Maybe she talked too much. Talking too much usually does grab people's attention. Maybe Akashi was just saying it to make Sakai feel comfortable. But what good will that do?

Since they were on the second floor, they headed up to the third floor. Along the way, there was a small store called Sweet and Sweeter. Sakai happily headed there with Kise. "We didn't have dessert," Sakai brightly smiled to Kise. "So I'm going to get some!"

He nodded, "Sure. We're both the leaders right now." She beamed at him and he stared at her eyes that had a faint trace of tears. '_Akashi-cchi can be so harsh_,' he thought with a soft smile. He was impressed that Sakai seemed to have forgotten she had shed tears in front of everyone. Or perhaps she rather wanted to forget it.

As the two blondes walked straight to it, Seki asked Kuroko, "Which one in your group don't like sweets, Kuroko?"

"Mmm…" Kuroko thought for a second. "…Midorima-kun, maybe?"

Momoi chuckled, "Midorin just doesn't eat sweets that often, Tetsu-kun."

"Who's Midorima?" Seki inquired, looking at them back and forth.

Using two hands, Kuroko pretended to have glasses. "He's our friend with glasses," he told her. "He will be attending the second mixer if Kise-kun still insists on it."

"Glasses, huh?" Seki almost nodded to herself, her glasses flashing off the ceiling light. "He must be one of my kind then."

Momoi cracked a smile, "What does that mean, Seki-chan?"

Behind them, Kagami started to talk about basketball and Yamauchi was rather quiet as she gave him her full attention. "And then I would jump from the center of the court…" he did a gesture of dunking a ball, which his hand almost hit her. "And dunk!" She backed away in time with a pale face.

Clapping her hands as he smiled proudly, Yamauchi was not sure how impressive it was to play basketball. But seeing him getting excited made him look childishly, which she did not expect. "You're so tall, I bet you can jump very high!" she smiled kindly.

"You wanna see?" he snickered to her, his eyes burning with passion.

She quickly waved her hands to him, "N-Not right now! Maybe when we're outside or something." She cannot imagine what would happen if he jumped. What if he hit the ceiling?

"Those two don't seem to be compatible with each other," Akashi observed.

Tomimura's eyes focused to Yamauchi and Kagami. "…What makes you think that?" she inquired quietly.

He smiled, "I simply think so, but if they were really into one another… it may take some time."

There was nothing else to say so Tomimura's eyes moved over to where Kise and Sakai was. The two blond heads were laughing about something as soon as they reached to a small store called Sweet and Sweeter. '_They actually look good together_,' Tomimura thought to herself. '_Pretty people do look good with other pretty people_…'

Hearing Akashi sneering, she looked at him at the corner of her eyes curiously. "…Nothing," he gave her a half smirk.

"You're looking through my mind, aren't you?" she crossed her arms, looking away and continued walking. Kuroko, Momoi, and Seki now reached to the store too.

"I feel you would be afraid to hear what I have to say," he smiled to himself.

Tomimura frowned, "People have their own opinions. So yours won't matter." The moment when Kagami and Yamauchi caught up with the friends in front, Tomimura stopped walking.

The redhead stopped at the same time, "You're not going to get some?"

"I'm saving money," she told him. Hearing Kuroko asking for a vanilla shake, Tomimura smiled. "I keep forgetting Kuroko is around us. He's really strange."

Akashi smiled, "…You'd be surprised what he can do."

"Tell me something," Tomimura turned to face him. He turned his head to look at her. "Kise-san mentioned all of you played basketball… and I seen him played very well myself. Since you acted like a almighty king, you must be good too, right?"

"Why?" he inquired.

She paused as she stared at him. Not sure why she was asking, she shrugged and turned back to see the others again. Momoi just got her cherry shake while Kise and Sakai were seated close by. "I think what I wanted to ask about is Kuroko," Tomimura said.

"What about him?" Akashi glanced to where Kuroko was. He was now sitting at the table with Momoi and Seki. It appeared Seki did not order anything.

Tomimura asked, "The way Momoi hangs around Kuroko like that… why would he come to the mixer when he have someone like her?"

Akashi chuckled, "It's complicated."

"One-sided love?" she glanced at him.

He smiled, "What do you think?" She sighed and grew quiet again. "While we're just standing here talking… let me ask you something too," he moved his body to face her. She stood where she was, avoiding eye contact. "Why are you here if you had no expectations for this mixer?"

"Kise-san made me come," she replied easily.

"Is that so?" he normally stared at her.

Tomimura blinked slowly and kept her arms crossed to her chest. "He's a good guy," she also said. "I thought he deserved it if I helped him. Though, I still don't know why I was needed. …Oh wait, Kise-san said he and I should watch how everyone progress through the mixer. That was a really stupid reason. Can't believe I went along with it."

Akashi continued to stare at her. The blue-violet eyes of hers carried a message that she almost denied everything. Denying her feelings and perhaps the whole world, as if she wanted to hold back for someone's sake.

"I would hit you, but I'm not that kind of person," she looked up at him. "So stop staring. You're creeping me out."

He smiled and she lightly glared at him. "I have a suggestion," he said. Her eyes sparked with curiosity. "Given that you do not want anything out of this mixer… would you want to do an experiment with me?"

Tomimura made a dry face. Something about how he was going on about it made her annoyed. "What kind of experiment?" she questioned.

"A love experiment," he replied with a thin smile.

She looked away instantly. "Rejected," she frowned.

"You never felt the kind of love from a person who was more than a friend, no?" he inquired.

Looking at him seriously, she asked, "What do you think, Akashi?" The way he smiled now showed he already knew the answer. So she did not want to waste her breathe.

His lips moved slowly, "You're… afraid to fall in love… aren't you?" Tomimura averted her eyes away. He noticed her body seemed to tremble, but her right hand made a fist and she easily regained control of her body. "…Did you lose someone you love?" he asked rather emotionlessly.

With a still face, she looked at him again, "…What do you think?"

He gazed into her eyes. It was not long before he sensed it. "A different kind of love?" he smiled. "In general, you're just scared of love and loss."

Over at the tables, everyone had long sat down and talked more about their interests. Momoi blinked when she realized Akashi and Tomimura did not join them. They looked like they were having a serious conversation. "I wonder what they're talking about," Momoi put her mouth on the straw of her cherry shake.

Hearing Momoi, Kise looked over their heads with a smile. He was going to call out to them, but his eyes studied the expressions of Akashi and Tomimura. '_They're not arguing, are they_?' he asked himself, wanting to get up before Akashi made another girl cry.

"…Touch my hand," Tomimura stared at the ground. Akashi blinked with silence. "Seki reads a lot of shoujo manga… and she tells me her heart always skip a beat with the male character first meet the female lead. And when he takes the female hand, Seki gets a warm feeling." She lifted her head up a little and her heart felt extremely curious. "I pretty much just meant you, so…"

Leaning his weight on one leg, Akashi questioned, "You want me to take your hand?"

"No, _Ba_-kashi, just use your fingertips," she tried not to scold.

His expression turned hard, "What did you just call—"

"If you're unable to make my heart skip a beat, then the love experiment can go down the drain," she told him, giving him a determined look.

There was a pause and his looked at her with more interest. "You're challenging me?" he smirked.

"Kise-san talk like you guys lack romance," she flatly waved her hand at him, highly believing Akashi lacked it too. "If you can't make my heart skip a beat, you can always find other girls out there."

Akashi smiled at her, "So. We both crave for a test of love?"

Irritated, she asked, "Are you going to do it or not?"

Quietly staring at her, he watched her eyes look away again. He smirked about the idea of a love experiment. It would be a good test. His right hand reached out to her left hand that was on her side. She bit her lower lip and faced away a little more. His eyes watched her closely before touching her hand.

Sakai blinked when Kise was tilting his body to the left. "Kise-kun, what are you going?" Sakai giggled at him.

"Yeah, seriously," Kagami gave him a weird look.

"I, uh…" Kise tilted more. A group of people walked by so Kise was just trying to see what Akashi and Tomimura were doing. "…Eh?"

When the crowd was gone, Akashi and Tomimura walked over to the others normally. But Tomimura appeared to be a bit stiff.

Yamauchi smiled and stood up to take Tomimura's hand, "What took you guys so long? Do you want to order any dessert?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Tomimura said, softly touching the end of her bangs.

Akashi took a seat beside Kuroko and asked, "Where do you guys want to go after this?"

"Huh, somewhere without you, _Ba_-kashi," Sakai turned around in her seat with pouting lips.

Kagami suddenly moved from his seat when Akashi looked like he was going to get up. "Whoa, whoa, stop it!" Kagami put his hand on Akashi's shoulder.

Momoi smiled nervously as Akashi looked like he would kill Sakai. "This is going to be a long day," she shook her head.

"I agree," Kuroko blinked, drinking from the straw.

Seki quietly looked around. She noticed Kise looked a bit confused and she followed his gaze over to Tomimura. Seki realized Tomimura's hand was trembling. '_I wonder what's going on_?' Seki flattened her face.

At the same time as Tomimura sat by Seki, Kise was still staring at her. '_Tomimura_?' he blinked. '_What was she blushing about_?' He had never seen her face red before. Did Akashi do or say something?

* * *

**Author's Note**: Ahem. If Akashi is out of character, well... My excuse is: He and his friends are in their third year of high school now. He was rather sweet in middle school, right? I read somewhere online that Akashi was like a mother to his friends at the time and Aomine called him 'mother' because Akashi nagged too much. So I tried to do something about Akashi's character... and I don't think many people will like how I decided to portray him. I won't ask for forgiveness, but please, no flames.

And thanks for reading! (I will take my time to update the next one. Seriously.)


	7. I Can't Be Jealous

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 7 was uploaded on November 2, 2013

***To EVERYONE who reads this**: I forgot it was the weekends and decided to work harder to update a new chapter. 8D (The future is always unpredictable so I'm not going to say when the next chapter will come or when I think I might take long time on.)

***To the Guest who reviewed for Chapter 6 (because it's the only way to reply to you)**: OOHHHHH. Ryo-chan as in Ryouta! LOL That didn't occur to me at all! XD Thanks for pointing that out. (snorts to myself) Oh no! Kagami's out of character?! (sighs) I guess he was the most difficult to write? I'll make sure to really take my time and analyze him a little more then. (I'll go do more research online while I'm at it.) Sorry about that. I'll do my best!

(An hour later or so) I read on a wiki that Kagami is ambitious, stubborn, and determined… And from what I have seen in the Anime, I agree with this… but should I make him force himself to make a girl to like him? xD LOL I don't know what do to with him! (And I'm a Leo too!) Unless, do you have any suggestions? Actually, first of all, can you point out what made Kagami out of character? Then I will go and make changes in Chapter 6.

*Oh, and **everyone** is free to tell me what you think as well! Keep me in touch when someone is going **out of character**.

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 7: I Can't Be Jealous  
**

In the game room of the Shiroki Mall, Sakai got on the Dance Dance Revolution and was going through the songs on the screen. Everyone standing was behind her. The only one who seemed uninterested was Akashi.

"Anyone want to join me?" Sakai smiled, turning around to face them.

"I think we're good," Seki told her, pushing up her glasses with a smile. "Since you wanted to show off, let them watch you."

Sakai giggled, "Aw, don't say it that way, Seki-chan."

"Don't let your confidence get to your head," Akashi smiled.

Turning back to the screen, Sakai frowned, "It's not confidence, _Ba_-kashi. I know what I'm doing."

Kise and Kagami both looked at Akashi in case he was going to jump on Sakai. But Akashi stood where he was with his hands in his pockets. "Whew," Kagami sighed in relief. '_Akashi is finally acting like an adult_.' Though, it was rude to keep calling him that.

Yamauchi smiled uneasily when the moment had passed. She watched Sakai going through the songs for a moment while Momoi was talking to Kuroko. It was then Sakai cheered, "Oh, Sadness by M4M?!" It was playing in Chinese. "And Chinese version?! OH OH, I didn't know they had this!"

"She must really like Chinese," Kuroko blinked. First it was Chinese food and now Chinese songs.

Sakai wasted no time and selected the song in the highest difficulty level. The screen turned black and came on after a few seconds and the song played a heartbeat first. Kise's eyes opened a bit wider when Sakai's head was down, as if she was concentrating.

Akashi smiled, "Oh, she's going to dance while playing it?"

"No way," Momoi smiled with excitement.

There was a slow melody, but soon the music blast and the male voices came on. Sakai begun moving her body and her eyes were on the screen.

As Tomimura watched Sakai begun dancing, she took this chance and looked at Akashi. "What happened before you and Sakai were arguing, Akashi?" she asked. Sakai normally did not get angry or cry in front of others. "What triggered it?"

"…The way she smiled," he replied without much thought.

"That annoyed you enough to make her cry?" she inquired, narrowing her eyes to him. What was going through a mind like his? He must really, really be an outspoken person or something. "And what about the way you said her acting innocent is only to make others look bad?"

"You can think that for yourself," he told her, glancing to meet her gaze.

Tomimura frowned, "I don't know how we're going to do this 'love' experiment… I'm not going to expect too much from you."

He chuckled with a smile and she rolled her eyes. "You were blushing… I'm sure the experiment will go well," he quietly said.

Just remembering about it, she recalled his fingertips touching her fingers. She mentally waved her hand to dismiss the unwanted memory. Considering they lived far apart, at least she did not have to see him everyday. "The best we could do in the experiment is talk on the phone," she thought out loud. Folding her arms to her chest, she blinked, "How exactly are we going to even play your game?"

"You will come to Kyoto then."

She grunted, "You're kidding me."

"I'm always serious," he faced her. "Then the next time, I'll come visit you."

Because she was not looking forward to anything from the mixer, and since her heart actually skipped a beat from his touch, she agreed to his request of the love experiment. But now it just sounded too troublesome. "I'll think about it," she gave him a dry face.

"You will do it," he said, looking back to Sakai. The blonde was really into it. The way she moved was graceful, yet powerful. The movement of her long wavy blond hair was as good as being an eye candy. It attracted a crowd and they were watching in awe. Akashi noticed his friends were slightly enchanted too. "She's really into this, isn't she? Not bad."

Tomimura chuckled softly, "Now you're complimenting her?"

"Jealous?" Akashi looked at her at the corner of his eyes.

"Nope," she flattened her eyes. In no way she would feel jealous or anything related to him. With a curious thought, she questioned, "…Have you felt jealous before?"

"Not at all," Akashi said. He always got what he wanted and what he expected in life. There was nothing in the world he was envy of. Not a single thing.

Tomimura smiled to herself and he narrowed his eyes to her. "Then maybe I'll consider that to be the first step I'll take in our experiment," she murmured to herself.

'_So, jealousy is a part of the love process_?' Akashi thought, analyzing it in his head. He looked over to Sakai, who had not broken a sweat yet. All of the arrows on the screen were mostly in synced and timed right. Then Akashi noticed Kise was watching Sakai with focus and ease. When he glanced to Tomimura again, her eyes were looking over at Kise.

She blinked when Akashi was observing her and she looked away. "I think Kise-san is starting to like Sakai," she said rather nervously, trying to be composed.

"I don't think that's it," Akashi told her. "He's planning to play with her soon though." She said nothing and he had an idea. "You want me to feel jealous? Why don't you use Ryouta to achieve it?"

With a frown, she shook her head, "No, I don't want to use him. I don't even want to talk to him that much. I was just considering the idea of making you jealous." She looked up at him. "Why would you suggest that about your friend anyway?" You weirdo, as she wanted to add, but did not.

"Because you appear to like him."

Tomimura was quiet and stared at him for a moment. "Sakai is the one who is interested in Kise-san," she shrugged.

"So you're backing out?" he smiled at her, slightly tilting his head.

"I was never in," she told him, glancing away. Her head was hurting from just talking and looking up at him.

Akashi watched her hide her feelings, but her eyes were still on Kise. "You're clearly in denial," he said. Her eyes glared and he could practically hear her saying 'shut up' in her head. Just thinking about her saying out loud entertained him enough. Perhaps he should push her buttons a little more and see more of her emotions she was covering up.

When the song ended, Kagami was the first to clap his hands and Yamauchi followed suit. "That was rather impressive!" Kagami smiled. It almost made him want to do something like her.

Sakai turned around and grinned happily. The crowed were smiling and slowly left one by one. "Thank you!" she lightly chuckled.

When Kise walked up on the other side of the DDR next to her, she blinked. "Do that song again," he smiled thinly. "I'll play with you at the same difficulty." He had all of her moves memorized and could not wait to show it.

"Wha, really?" she covered her mouth. She was surprised and happy at the same time. "But…"

Kise rolled up his sleeves and winked. "I'll be fine," he told her. "It's my turn to awe you, Sakai-chan. But you better not lose any points because of me."

It was hard for her to believe it. She understood he simply wanted to impress her, but does he play DDR often? Putting up a smile, she looked at his focused eyes and nodded. "If you say so," she giggled, happy to have him close. Even if she lost to him, she did not care about the scores.

Clapping her hands, Yamauchi cheered, "Go for it, Sakai-chan and Kise-san!" She hoped both of them would win, though that may be impossible.

Kagami snorted with a smirk, "Kise's going to show off too, huh?

"I'm going to go the bathroom," Seki said, walking off on her own.

While Sakai went to replay the same music, Kuroko and Momoi had gone to sit on the chairs that were nearby. Akashi turned around and he looked at Tomimura, who looked at him curiously. "Let's go and do something else," he whispered.

"We're ditching them?" she blinked at him, puzzled.

"Do you want me to drag you out?" he asked, his hand slightly moving.

Willingly than to have him touch her again, Tomimura turned around and he walked out first. Following him, she wondered with a dry face, '_What is he planning_?'

When the music started to play, the two of them walked off to the right together. Akashi saw a black bench just ahead of them and he walked towards it. The moment he sat down in the middle of the bench, he looked at Tomimura, who remained standing. "Sit," he told her with demanding eyes.

Not wanting to even argue what was going through his mind, she sat down near the arm of the bench and frowned. Their distance was only about a person away. Silence fell between them and no words were exchanged. Tomimura flattened her eyes, '_Why are we here_?'

Akashi merely smiled and kept quiet.

Inside the game room, the song was almost over. Sakai tried not to look at Kise, who seemed was scoring just as much as her. '_Strange_,' she beamed. '_Is he always good at this? He looks so hot dancing like that_!'

Over to Kagami and Yamauchi, she was smiling and only watched Kise danced. '_He's really good_!' Yamauchi giggled quietly.

"Hey, let me get a shot at it too!" Kagami decided to challenge himself.

Just at the last second, both Sakai and Kise were dancing and twirled at the same time. Kise was having fun, but then the moment he twirled, he noticed Akashi and Tomimura were not around.

Sakai's eyes met the screen and saw Kise had missed the last beat. "Huh?" she blinked.

"Oh, Sakai won," Seki reappeared.

Kagami flinched from Seki's sudden voice, "How long were you there? Didn't you go to the bathroom?"

She pushed her glasses up, "Yes, and I was standing here for a minute now."

While Momoi and Kuroko stood up, Sakai stared at the screen and slowly looked at Kise. His eyes were elsewhere and searched around. "Hey, where did Akashi and Tomimura go?" Kise asked, getting off the DDR.

"I saw them sitting out there," Seki pointed out the door. "I think they just needed a little fresh air out of the room. Maybe."

Kuroko then said, "They were already out before you got on the DDR, Kise-kun."

"Oh," Kise chuckled, scratching his face. He sounded slightly disappointed. But smiled over to Sakai, who only stared quietly at him when she went to stand by his side. "That was fun, Sakai-chan. Let's play it again someday."

"Y-Yeah," she nodded, smiling a little. Her heart was bothered by the last beat he missed, but she covered her thoughts up with a bigger smile. "I think I'm done for today. The mixer, I mean."

"Oh, so soon?" Yamauchi questioned, a bit surprised. She actually had not had enough yet.

Kagami also felt the same. "I still have some time," he said, checking his watch. "The train that some of us will be getting on won't be here for an hour or two. Now, who wants to play the DDR with me?" Everyone did not seem to hear him and he made a face.

Sakai put her hands on her hips and grinned. "Well then! Let's pick our partner and spend the day with that person!" she giggled childishly. She stepped right beside Kise and added, "I'll take Kise-kun. The mixer is officially over!"

"That's actually good too," Seki nodded, rubbing her chin. "I feel the mixer should end as well. Then that means I'll be with Kuroko and Momi as my partners."

While Kuroko blinked, Momoi nodded, "Okay! You should give us a tour around here!"

Seki smiled, "I'll take you guys to the bookstore first."

"Um…" Yamauchi walked behind Seki and tugged her shirt. "Then what am I going to do?"

Kagami flattened his eyes as Seki pointed into his chest. "You can show Kagami around town too, Yamauchi," Seki told her and brushed her off. "Unless you two want more company, then come to the bookstore with us."

"I don't mind," Kagami quickly said. There was no way he was going to be alone with a girl. He was not really yet.

Yamauchi nodded, smiling to him, "Then it's decided."

"Ohhhh," Sakai softly punched herself in the head. "I just remembered… my little sister wants me to buy her book from her favorite ongoing series… I guess I'll have to go to the bookstore too…" she mumbled and gave Kise a sad look.

He beamed at her, "It's fine. We both live here after all. There's a lot of time to spend time together."

Sakai grasped her hands together, "Really, Kise-kun?"

"Let's go and watch a movie tomorrow afternoon," he winked.

She blushed and jumped back and forth. "Okay, okay!" she joyfully nodded. He actually asked her out. She was extremely hyped now. "Does that mean you're coming to the bookstore with us too?"

Kise smiled, "Yeah, of course. I have a photo shoot in about three hours."

"Photo shoot?" Sakai beamed. "…Are you a model?"

He nodded, "Yeah." So, they do not really know him from the magazines?

"That's so cool!" she wanted to jump on him, but held herself in. "You must be popular by now then! I can't believe I never seen you before!" And with his looks, she knew right away he must have a lot of fans by now.

They both were laughing at the same time, and while they did, Kagami frowned at how the two of them were getting along. Kagami tiredly looked away as if his energy were drained, because no one seemed to want to play the DDR with him, and everyone slowly made their way out of the game room. So he just followed them.

"Oh, look, there they are," Yamauchi said as soon as she saw her friend with the redhead. Then she waved, "Tomimura-chan!"

Kise looked in the direction where Yamauchi was waving. Walking slowly, his smile from laughing faded away as Akashi and Tomimura just closed their cell phones at the same time and they looked over to the group casually.

"…Are you jealous of _Ba_-kashi?" Sakai leaned to the side, studying the emotion on Kise's face.

The others had walked away and Kise smiled to the blond haired girl. "Hahaha… of course not," he told her as naturally as possible. "Why would I be? Akashi-cchi said he was curious about Tomimura… so I can't be jealous. I shouldn't be."

Sakai gave him a sympathetic look. "I know the feeling too well," her hand touched his arm. She patted him there and smiled. "But if you ever need to talk, I'll be there for you."

He nodded, "Thanks, Sakai-chan." They started to walk off towards the others together.

"You're very welcome," she giggled softly. Hopefully she can win his heart over and make him only look at her. But then his eyes seemed distant again and she frowned to herself. '_This will take a lot of effort_,' she realized, but was yet determined.

Then Tomimura's voice was heard, "Cool, the mixer is over. Then I'm leaving."

"You're not going to join us?" Momoi asked, feeling a bit lonely. They only just met after all.

"I had other things planned for today," Tomimura smiled to her. "We can all hang again on another time. Maybe on another holiday." Deep down, she actually hope not because that would only mean she would see both Kise and Akashi. There was no way she wanted that to happen.

Kuroko blinked and told her, "But we have club activates and tournaments are coming soon."

Tomimura chuckled, "Then we can meet on summer break." Which was a good thing.

"Aw!" Kise joined in with them. "That's too long!"

She gave him a dry look. "…Kise-san, we're going to see each other again for the second mixer. Why are you complaining?"

"Oh," he smiled now. "That's right."

"Does next Sunday work for you and your others friends?" she inquired, gesturing with her hand out at him.

He nodded, "Of course! One of my picky friend said it was the best day for him to be out."

"Haha," Kagami snorted. "I cannot imagine Aomine coming over here from Tokyo. Let alone Murasakibara." Those two were the laziest. Unless they were serious enough to take Kise's idea of having girlfriends, it would be a sight to behold.

Kise sighed, "You're right…"

Seki pushed up her glasses, "You know, the next girls could go up to Tokyo this time."

"True," Kuroko nodded. "Murasakibara-kun does live as far as Akashi-kun." Just about anyway. Kuroko cannot figure out how many miles it was from Kyoto to Tokyo and Akita to Tokyo.

"Then I'll tell my friends about that the next time I see them," Tomimura looked to Kise, who nodded to her.

"Aw, I wish I went to Tokyo!" Yamauchi giggled to herself.

And while they walked, Tomimura excused herself quietly. She took out her phone to check the time, but before she could look at it, Akashi called out her name. Looking back, she blinked a couple of times. "…Akashi, did you call me?" she asked, just making sure.

"Be careful on your way back… something may be following," he said with a rather calm face.

She paused and slowly smiled. His words brought her chills, but she was not sure if he was concern or not. Nodding, she said, "Thanks… I'll take that advice."

When she begun walking away, the voices of her friends rose. Sakai and Yamauchi laughed together with Kise and Momoi about something. Tomimura was glad to hear laughter, but thinking about it made her lonely. Because she was not there to laugh with them.

* * *

**Author's note**: To everyone who likes this fanfic …you guys are aware that one of the genres is CRIME, right? Because I feel like the story may go down hill for all of you sooner or later. But I'll just take the risk and keep on writing.

Well, thanks for reading (and reviewing)!


	8. Consider It Done!

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 8 was uploaded on November 4, 2013

***To the mystery Guest (because this is the only way to talk to you)**: OMG Thank you for the long description! So thoroughly analyzed! I agree with everything you said! I can't believe how dumb I was to not see it. But thank you so much for taking your time to write a detailed reply! It made so shock and happy! xD I have gone and changed few things around in the other chapters. I still don't know if I have completely grasped Kagami's character yet, but I hope I can get it in my head soon. (But I have your help saved in the reviews so I can always look at it again.) It depends on you if you want to look back and approve the changes I made yourself. Thank you for time to tell me about Kagami. I really, REALLY appreciated the assistance!

***To those have have reviewed, favorited, and followed ****in the past (_and in the future_)**: Thank you for your interest in my fanfic!

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Consider It Done!**

Outside of the bookstore called Crazy Manga, Momoi and the boys were staring at the name of the place. The building was not wide, but it had three floors. Seki walked to the front door and turned to look at them. "What's wrong?" she pushed her glasses up with a small smile.

"When you mean bookstore…" Kagami pointed at the sign. "You were just talking about manga… You like reading manga too?"

"Very," she replied seriously. "Manga are a part of me as much as a regular novels, light novels, and…" she went on as her voice started to whisper, lowering her head at the same time.

Yamauchi giggled uneasily, "Seki-chan?"

"Oh, yes," Seki looked up from the ground. "Let's go in. Go ahead and explore. Go anywhere you want. The first floor has the latest releases. All of the older ones are upstairs. Watch out for hentai though. If I catch one of you looking at them, I'll lose my interest in you. Understand?" She especially directed that to the boys.

"Then why did you bring us here?!" Momoi squealed with embarrassment. The boys: Akashi, Kuroko, Kagami, and Kise seemed neutral. Or rather, simply unfazed by the word _hentai._

Sakai giggled and walked to take Seki's arm, "Can you help me find what my sister wanted?"

"You still don't even remember the name of the series?" Seki frowned as the blonde dragged her through the front door. "Really, how many times is this now, Sakai?"

Everyone soon followed. Yamauchi found herself with Momoi and the two of them wandered into the Shoujo section. Kagami, Kise and Kuroko stayed together and talked a bit as they entered the Seinen aisle without much thought. "Hey, isn't Seinen mature for men?" Kagami inquired, looking at the two of them.

Shrugging, Kuroko replied, "Seki-san mentioned nothing about mature content for men."

Kise smiled and picked a manga up. "Then I'm going to take a peek," he said, flipping through the pages.

While Kagami stared at the blonde with a disbelief face, Kuroko slightly tilted over for a peek as well. "Kuroko?!" Kagami shockingly shouted at him.

"Don't worry," Kuroko blinked when Kise stopped flipping through the manga. "Seki-san won't notice me." He did not sound worry at all.

Since they were already doing it, Kagami curiously walked over to them and took a peek too. Looking up from the page, Kise raised an eyebrow to Kuroko and said, "Kuroko-cchi's making use of his lack of presence to read? Lucky."

'_Shoujo manga_?' Akashi's gazed over to where Momoi and Yamauchi were. Momoi picked out a book and looked through it as Yamauchi leaned to look. A moment later, Akashi walked into the same section where the girls were and looked around casually.

"Kyaa!" Yamauchi turned away from the book with a blush. "I can't believe her first kiss just got stolen!"

Momoi chuckled and flipped through the pages. "The art is nicely drawn," Momoi commented, looking rather interested in the manga she was holding.

Akashi walked passed the two of them and studied the manga covers. Each of them had one or two variety of characters and they were rather colorful. He reached at the end of the section and went around the other side, which continued on. With a pause, he picked one out randomly and opened it.

"Oh, you're interested?" Seki appeared beside as him as her glasses flashed.

While he said nothing, she pushed her glasses up and went to grab a manga for herself. "Tomimura said you like these kinds of things," he said without looking up. There was a page of girl yelling at a pretty boy.

"I already confessed that I do love manga," Seki said, opening up a manga. She then looked at the back of the book and put it back. In her other hand, she held another book.

Akashi also put the manga back and sighed. His eyes looked over to her and he noticed the cover of the manga she held had two boys over each other. And they looked like they were about to kiss. "That manga in your hand… you like those kinds of stories too?" he inquired flatly.

She turned to face him and hid the book behind her. "Of course," she nodded, looking at him calmly. "I enjoy it once and a while."

"…Why do you like it?"

Pushing up her glasses again, her eyes stayed serious and honest. "Akashi, you're smart," she stated. "Why don't you try guessing?"

"It's not guessing," he smiled. "I'm starting to see you like girls and boys."

"Yes, good guess," she stared at him blankly.

He sneered, "You're only thinking you like both men and women because you can't choose. You're a girl, so you're more comfortable being around girls. Boys make you nervous and you can't trust them."

Seki put the manga on her lips. "Akashi… I'm starting to like you very much," she told him. "As a friend though." Before he said anything, she went on, "You know, with that skill of yours, understanding other people like you know it all, some girls would love it. Because when the guy she likes understand her every thought, they'll fall for you so hard that you'll only drown in your own power and forgot how to love and treat a girl properly. People love being drunk with their own power. That's why people would rise someday to rebel against you."

"…You got a bit off the topic there," he remarked with a smirk.

Without bothering to look, she grabbed for a manga from the Shoujo section. "Why don't you try reading these?" she smiled a little, holding the Shoujo manga to his eye level. "If you want to learn how to make a girl only look at you, then a Shoujo manga will help you develop the right skills." She was practically laughing at the back of her head while saying so.

He did not believe a thing she said. But he asked, "Why would I want to buy something like that?" He could always learn by himself without anyone's help. That was the reason why he asked Tomimura.

Seki chuckled softly, "Because some girls wish their lives were like a Shoujo manga. Trust me. Even Sakai will change her mind if you're nice to her."

"I'm not in the slightest interested in someone like her," he closed his eyes, taking the manga from her hand.

She put her boys' love manga under her arm and clapped slowly, "Yay, now go and buy it."

Akashi gave her a silent look before staring at the manga in his hand. There was a long pause and he put the manga back. Seki made a disappointed face as he walked away. "I don't need it," he said, waving his hand.

She then called, "You can always go and find a Shoujo manga in Kyoto. Good luck!" Akashi said nothing and met up with the boys who were still in the Seinen section. Seki then walked around to talk to the other two girls. "Hey, I just had an unexpected idea."

"Hmm?" Yamauchi blinked at her while Momoi was reading the manga she first picked.

Seki rubbed her chin and looked out the window of the bookstore. She smiled when she just saw a man and a woman kissing briefly as they walked across the street. "Let's make time to get everyone all together from the first and second mixer… and …" she smiled secretively. "Meet up somewhere to play Spin the Bottle."

Momoi dropped the manga and instantly looked at Seki. "W-w-w-what?!" Momoi uttered. She seemed embarrassed, excited, and disapproving all at the same time.

"Well, as growing teenagers, I think we should experience the game just once, don't you think?" Seki licked her lips when she turned her head away. It was the perfect plan to kiss both boys and girls.

Yamauchi blushed, "Wait, but…"

"Let's do it!" Kise's popped from the other side of the bookshelf.

"I'm in!" Sakai suddenly showed up and hugged Yamauchi from behind. In her hand, she was carrying a small green plastic bag with one manga inside.

Kagami bumped into Kise on purpose, "Are you crazy? We can't play without everyone else's permission!"

Kuroko and Akashi stayed at the Seinen section and only watched them talking about the topic.

"I'm sure they'll say yes!" Kise grinned happily. He would not let any of his friends miss out on such of an event. '_It must happen no matter what_!' he thought rather ambitiously.

With a frown, Kagami retorted, "Spin the Bottle also involves girls kissing girls and boys kissing boys, you know?!"

Seki pushed her glasses up with her usual seriousness. "Shut up, be a man, and kiss," she told Kagami.

Kise laughed, "What Seki-chan says!"

"Whooo!" Sakai threw a fist in the air, feeling energized. She moved quickly to stand by Seki. "Just as long I don't kiss the one I hate!"

"Um…" Yamauchi blinked nervously. "Seki-chan…?" But no one was listening and Kagami was still opposing to the idea.

Kagami grabbed Kise's shirt. "There's no way in hell I'm ready to do something as silly as that!" Kagami yelled. He would agree to anything else but this. Just the thought of kissing one of the boys, he would puke.

Momoi was blushing all over. "It'll be great if I kiss Tetsu-kun, but what if someone else get him?" she mumbled loudly to herself, playing with her fingers. She would be so jealous, but she wanted to go with the idea too.

"Wa… WAIT!" Yamauchi tried to shout. She breathed awkwardly and everyone now looked at her. She pouted with a blush and said, "I don't want to lose my first kiss in a game, Seki-chan!"

"Oh, then I'll take that first kiss of yours right now," Seki took off her glasses and walked towards her. "So you don't have to worry about it one bit, my beautiful Yamauchi."

Backing away quickly, Yamauchi ran off, almost tripping on her own two feet. "N-No!" she cried rather helplessly.

While they watched Yamauchi running away in the bookstore, Seki put her glasses back on and played with her manga in her hands. "Well then, let's mentally be prepared for the game on another day," Seki gave everyone a smile.

Sakai laughed and nodded, "Okay! I can't wait!"

Kise chuckled, "Should I tell my other friends about it after the second mixer?"

"Hmm, yeah." Seki blinked to him. "Just in cause they back out on the mixer."

He grinned and he gave Seki a high five over the bookshelf. "Consider it done!" he beamed cheerfully.

"Oh," Seki remembered, rubbing her chin. "And don't tell Tomi-chan about it. She'll never agree to it."

"Right," Sakai snickered. "It'll be our secret!"

At the same time as Momoi was still talking to herself, both Kuorko and Akashi looked at each other blankly. Kagami frowned and only slapped his forehead in distress while the other three were happily plotting the event to themselves.

Seki then inquired, "You boys do know how to kiss, right?"

* * *

**Author's note**: To everyone who likes this fanfic …you guys are aware that one of the genres is CRIME, right? Because I feel like the story may go down hill for all of you sooner or later. But I'll just take the risk and keep on writing.

Sorry for any mistakes and/or childish writing. English is not my first language... Well, thanks for reading (and reviewing)!


	9. Did You Get Home Okay?

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 9 was uploaded on November 7, 2013

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Did You Get Home Okay?**

Three hours after the first mixer, Tomimura walked through an alley and opened a back door of a certain building. She entered and walked through a hall, soon to reach another door and she opened it.

"Tomimura-chan!" a voice whimpered.

She snapped her eyes wide open as a taller girl jumped on her for a hug. Tomimura almost lost her balance, but the taller girl made sure they did not fall over together. "What, Moto?" Tomimura blinked, wondering what was wrong.

The tall girl let her go with a giggle. She backed away and slightly turned her head to let her long untied brown hair fall over her back. "How was the mixer?" the tall girl asked happily as her bright brown eyes met Tomimura's blue-violet eyes.

"Uh…" Tomimura uttered for a second. Moto's height reminded her of Akashi and she shook her head to get him out of her head.

"Was it that bad?" Moto inquired rather sadly and childishly.

Tomimura blinked and looked away. "I think the other girls enjoyed it," she shrugged.

Moto giggled and took Tomimura's hand. "That's great!" she skipped, somewhat dragging Tomimura behind. "And I missed you so much since you didn't come last Sunday! I was so jealous that Seki-chan and Sakai-chan were lucky to be able to stay behind to wait for you!"

While Tomimura was trying to get her pace to match the taller girl, she noticed another girl in the room. There was also Imayoshi, who leaned against the wall by a table. "Koizumi's here first again?" Tomimura asked, even if the answer was obvious.

The girl named Koizumi reloaded her gun. She was a girl with red-ish brown hair tied into a high ponytail. The length of her hair reached to her bottom. She fired her gun once and her dull red eyes glanced to the two girls. "Did you have… fun?" Koizumi questioned with stiff look.

Imayoshi grinned before Tomimura wanted to answer, "So you girls are going to mixers. Must be nice to be so young."

"Haha, you're young too, Imayoshi-san!" Moto waved to him with a bright smile. He returned a smile back to her.

"…Anyway," Tomimura looked to Koizumi, who still stared at her. "It was all right…"

Koizumi blinked. She felt something was amiss. "Did any guy hit on you?" she inquired. Tomimura frowned. "Oh, so you got yourself a boyfriend?"

"No," Tomimura quickly said, slapping a hand out. "We're just going to talk. Besides, he's from Kyoto."

Koizumi looked away and her eyes on her gun. "How passionate you two are," she flatly said. "To be talking to each other with such distance."

"Stop, please," Tomimura rubbed her head, feeling uncomfortable.

With a grin, Imayoshi encouraged, "Keep at it, Koizumi. I'm liking how Tomimura is getting shy."

Moto laughed when Koizumi started to practice firing. "I hope I get a guy too!" Moto ran in the room with her arms open like a plane. "I can't wait for the next mixer!"

'_That reminds me_,' Tomimura blinked. She looked up and Koizumi started to reload again. "Excuse me, girls, but there's something you will need to know." Moto stopped flying around and Koizumi lowered her gun, but did not look back. "We were thinking that the second mixer should be in Tokyo."

"Okay," Moto nodded with a blink.

"I'm not going anymore," Koizumi announced. When Tomimura was going to say something, Koizumi fired her gun again.

Imayoshi chuckled when Koizumi stopped firing. "What, is it too far for you?" he questioned strangely.

Koizumi sighed, "…I'm not that desperate. That's all."

"Aw, Koizumi-chan!" Moto walked to her and leaned on the counter by her. "It won't be any fun if you leave us girls by ourselves."

"You guys don't need me," Koizumi looked at her calmly.

Moto grinned and took Koizumi's hand. Dragging her forward, Moto said, "Of course we need you, silly!"

"Moto-san—" Koizumi flattened her eyes, barely keeping herself balanced on her own two feet.

While the two girls 'danced' around the room, Tomimura went up to the counter at the far end and set her dark blue bag on it. Taking her gun out, she switched it on and starting to fire at the target signs. The sound of her gunshots was more quiet than loud. While she shot the last bullet, she thought to herself, '_I still can't believe I let Kise-san talk me into the second mixer_.'

"Fine, I'll go," Koizumi quickly said. The two girls stopped moving and Koizumi frowned. "My gun is still on, you know…"

"I know," Moto winked. "But I trust you can handle it very well." Koizumi gave her a quiet look and only sighed. "Koizumi-chan, I'm sure your mom will let you go all the way to Tokyo. Besides, you will have us with you! You know that our good friend, Fukui-chan, can convince just about anyone!"

While Tomimura reloaded in the background, Koizumi could not help but scowl. "It's not about my mom, okay?" she walked off back to the counter. She aimed her gun at the target and fired it at the same time as Tomimura. When they both stopped at the same time, Koizumi compared their shots together. Tomimura's shots were a bit sloppier than her own.

"Everyone else should be here soon," Imayoshi looked over to the clock on the right side of the room. "I hope those girls aren't having too much fun with those guys…"

Moto hopped over to Tomimura, who gave her a weird look. "So, who's the lucky guy?" Moto giggled.

"…Akashi," Tomimura said rather nervously.

'_Did she just say Akashi_?' Imayoshi looked their way. Or maybe it was not the same person he knew. He recalled just now that Tomimura said he lived in Kyoto. That was not enough to confirm it though.

"Akashi what?" Moto hoped for the first name. At least, she assumed Akashi was a last name.

"I don't remember," Tomimura told her honestly. "I just met him. And I don't bother remembering long names."

Moto happily laughed, "True! I hope you'll live happily ever after with him!" Just a second later, a cell phone vibrated. "Tomimura-chan, I think it's yours."

Setting her gun down, Tomimura got her phone from the bag and saw it was a text from Kise. She opened it open and it read: _Did you get home okay?_ Tomimura softened her eyes and let out a sigh. "Well, that's a first," she murmured. He never asked her that before. Even when they had the same class together.

Leaning in, Moto grinned when she read the sender's name. "Ooooh, is this Kise Ryouta someone who's into you too?" she teased, rubbing her cheek on Tomimura's cheek.

Pushing her away, Tomimura said, "No, he's nothing like that." She closed her cell phone, giving Moto a dry face. "If it was Kuroko, I would have said yes… just to make a fool out of you."

Imayoshi smiled, '_Yep… It's them alright_.' What a small world they all live in. He wondered how they even got together with the Generation of Miracles to begin with. Moto did not let Tomimura off easily and continued to tease her. Imayoshi enjoyed watching them getting along and noticed Koizumi was just by herself. He then walked to her and asked, "You shouldn't start the session so early without the others."

"I know," Koizumi said, her eyes staring at her gun only. He chuckled and took her gun. She blinked and watched him fired one gunshot. It aimed directly hit the center of the target. "…Lucky shot," she gestured her hand to have her gun back. She did not even look at him.

He handed it to her with a smile. "No, I'm just getting better," he said, turning around to lean back on the counter. "Even though I'm just a supervisor, I want to learn to polish my own skills here too."

"Then I better not lose to you," Koizumi whispered, wiping the gun against her shirt.

Imayoshi grinned and looked away. '…_Tokyo, huh_?' he wondered to himself. It reminded him of how Aomine, Momoi, and Sakurai were doing in their third year of high school. '_Wait… does this mean Aomine is going to the mixer_?' he smirked to himself.

The sound of a door opened. Must have been the back door. And through the door to the Gun Room, Sakai walked right in with a cheerful smile. "I'm hereeeeee!" she announced, giggling right after.

"Sakai-chan!" Moto ran towards her, getting ready for a bear hug. As the two of them embraced each other, Yamauchi and Seki were right behind Sakai. Moto saw the two of them and purposely pushed Sakai backwards, slamming into the girls, and all of them fell on the ground together.

"Ow, ow," Yamauchi moaned, but then lightly laughed. She was on the right while Moto buried Sakai with her body and Seki just sat up to fix her glasses in place. "Hello, Moto-chan," Yamauchi smiled at her.

"You're hurting me, Moto-chan!" Sakai cried from below.

Moto moved up and got off of Sakai. While Moto took Sakai's hand to help her up, the other two got up as well. "So, so!" Moto's fists pumped at their faces. "Did you girls find anyone you like?"

"Hmm," Seki reached into her black bag. Taking out her dark green cell phone, she flipped it open and clicked around. Then she showed Moto the only guy's name on her list. "I told Akashi Seijuurou that we're going to the best of buds," Seki filled her friends in.

"Aw, that two-timing player!" Moto teased loudly. Simply for Tomimura to hear.

"Meaning, we're just going to be friends, Moto," Seki looked at her strangely, pushing up her glasses very slowly. "I also have numbers from Kuroko and Momoi as well."

While Seki closed her cell phone, Yamauchi pointed to herself. "I wasn't interested in any of them, but Kagami-kun asked for my number," she told Moto with a slight blush. "He seems nice… and a bit scary."

"And I got Kise-kun's number!" Sakai beamed, dancing around Moto.

Laughing happily, Moto looked back over to Tomimura. "Sounds like everyone got a guy," she grinned to herself. "I really, really can't wait for the second mixer!"

Koizumi turned around to look at the smiling faces of the girls. "Wow," she blinked. "All of you have a guy's number? I see how successful the mixer went."

Nodding, Sakai quickly walked to her and stood between Koizumi and Imayoshi. "I'm sure you'll get one too, Koi-chan!"

"…Right," Koizumi looked at her, feeling rather bored.

Tomimura sighed and did not look back to them. '_Great… Kise-san's plan is working very well so far_,' she frowned at the thought. But she did not want regrets and will simply leave things the way they were. As long as her friends were happy, it should not matter too much.

Looking at the time, Imayoshi said, "Looks like Fukui is going to be late this time…"


	10. She Always Picks Up My Calls

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 10 was uploaded on November 8, 2013

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 10: She Always Picks Up My Calls**

On a Monday morning…

After getting dressed up for the morning, Tomimura was using an old purple brush to straighten her neck-length hair. Her bright yellow cell phone was set by the sink and she moved it to the side and begun brushing her teeth. After a few minutes, she took the phone and walked out of the bathroom as she turned off the light switch.

She walked down the hall and turned to the small living with a brown carpet. The room only contained a three-seat couch and rectangular coffee table. And on the couch, there was a fluffy yellow pillow with black and white striped blanket. Her phone vibrated and she paused in her steps to look at it. Her heart stopped when she read Akashi's name on the ID caller. Opening it, she answered, "Yeah?"

"You're supposed to say, 'good morning,'" his voice said.

Tomimura scowled and she headed in the kitchen. "Morning, Akashi," she mumbled. He chuckled and she could hear a door closing in the background. "Are you off to school?"

"Where else will I be going?"

"It'll be creepy to see you at my doorsteps," she suddenly thought. She opened her refrigerator and took out a half gallon of milk that was already running out.

There was the sound of a gate closing at his end. "Tomimura, do you live alone?" he inquired.

"If I say no, would you visit?"

He sneered, "I don't think we're ready for that phase yet."

"You talk like we're in a relationship," she flatly said. She set the milk on the island and grabbed the cereal above the refrigerator.

"Remember, we're only doing an experiment," he reminded.

She sighed, "What, did I not sound like I was kidding just now?" Setting the cereal on the island, she took a small white bowl from the counter. Pouring cereal for herself, she asked, "You know, like I mentioned before, you live in Kyoto… how did you imagine to do this 'experiment' of yours?"

Akashi replied coolly, "We can just talk to each other first. Then when the second mixer is over, we can meet up sometime afterwards."

"Oh, yeah, I still have to go to that other mixer," she sighed heavily. Now pouring the milk, she yawned and after a few seconds, she set the milk aside. "Oh, I heard you exchanged numbers with Seki, which just gave me an idea. Why don't you and her do that experiment together?"

"I already chose you." Tomimura blinked and had a long pause. "Mm?"

She shook her head to snap out of it. "I'm just saying," she grumbled, looking around for a spoon.

"…Don't mention that I should do the experiment with another girl again," he said, slightly commanding her.

She flattened her eyes and took a spoon. "As you wish, _Ba_-kashi," she grumbled.

"And do not call me that _ever_ again."

"I think it suits you just fine," she smirked a bit. For a second, she felt his calm rage from the other side of the phone. "Akashi, it's not a name to look down at you. I simply say it because…" she trailed off and closed her mouth.

"What is it?" he questioned. She could feel him smile and she felt her face going red. "Well, Sakai seems to have a different meaning when she calls me that. I forbid you both from calling me that."

Raising her eyebrows, Tomimura smacked her mouth, "Good luck with that." She started to eat her cereal and ignored his other words he said. Continuing to eat, she did not feel like talking to him and kept her mouth full. He waited for her to finish and it sounded like he was in an area of other people. When she was finished, she asked, "Can I hang up now?"

"Sure, but call me in the late afternoon," he told her.

"What?" she frowned.

"Later."

He hung up first and Tomimura closed her phone with an annoyed face. "Fine," she said loudly. "Whatever you like." To think her face was warming up of a single reason she did not want to say. Maybe she should try to talk to boys more and get used to them. Just like Seki ought to.

At noon…

Entering her classroom, Yamauchi just finished her lunch and was going towards her seat in the far seat of the front row. Her phone in her skirt's pocket vibrated and she took it to see who it was. "Oh, Kagami-kun," she smiled, sitting at her desk. She opened the phone and put it to her left ear. "Hello, Kagami-kun."

"Hey," he uttered.

She giggled and looked at her nails that were short. "I didn't think you would call me right after the day of the mixer," she said. Perhaps he was taking the mixer seriously. "How's your day?"

He sighed, "Kuroko was annoying me again. He keeps coming at me with No. 2."

She blinked, "…No. 2?"

"Oh," he realized. "Tetsuya No. 2 is Seirin's pet dog… mostly Kuroko's, but yeah."

Yamauchi smiled and touched her cheek. "Aw, the dog is named after Kuroko-kun?" she asked joyfully. "Who named him?"

"Ah… I think it was Koga," he tried to recall. "It was during our first year at Seirin, so I don't really remember."

Turning her head outside, she stared at the horizon peacefully. She was on the second floor of her school. "Sounds like you get along with everyone at school," she chuckled, her fingers tapping on her desk. "Must be nice."

Kagami lightly laughed, "Sure. We all love playing basketball."

"Say, you're a third year, right?" she questioned, slightly wonder if they mentioned it during the mixer.

"Yeah," he replied. "…And you?"

"I'm a second year student," she told him. A dog barked in the background and Kagami yelled and then there were crashes. "…Kagami-kun?" Yamauchi blinked. Hearing him scared made her nerves jumped a bit.

On the other side of the phone, she heard, "Kagami-kun, you two been together for roughly three years now. Why are you still afraid of him?" It was Kuroko's voice, which made Yamauchi smile in wonder.

"Shut up, damn it, and don't come near me!"

The phone then was cut off. Yamauchi stared blankly and covered her mouth with a giggle. "Sounds like someone has fears for dogs," she said to herself. Just after a few seconds, her phone vibrated it again with Kagami's name. She answered it, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," he sighed in relief. Sounded like he was panting as well.

Yamauchi lowered her eyes and leaned her cheek on her free hand. Kagami was nice, but she felt he was not the kind of guy she was looking for. On the other hand, she liked him as a friend. Maybe she should make it clear for him. '_Hmm, but what if he actually likes me_?' she asked herself, tapping her chin. '_Maybe I shouldn't judge too soon. I'll keep talking to him_.'

That afternoon…

Leaving the school ground, Seki was on her way back home. Hearing her cell phone vibrating, she took it out of her black bag and opened it. She received a text Akashi that read: _What Shoujo manga do you suggest?_

She stopped walking and grinned for a good few seconds. "Ho… ho ho… I see he caved in," she thought out loud. Texting back, she typed a couple of sentences and read it before sending it. _Pick any one you like. They're all the same either way_. And with that, she replied back to him and closed her cell phone. "Good luck, _Ba_-kashi," she pushed up her glasses and walked off. "What a cute nickname for the Emperor," she smiled with satisfaction.

At the corner of the block, her eyes looked up to the sky and she felt the whole world was quiet around her. '…_It should be starting soon_,' she pushed up her glasses grimly.

Later that afternoon…

At the theaters, Kise and Sakai had just walked out together with smiling faces. They both kept their distance and respected each other's space. Making their way to the streetlights, Kise looked at her, "What, you're nineteen years old?"

She beamed with a nod, "Yeah! I'm a year older than you… does that bother you?"

"Of course not," he smiled, wanted to ruffle her blond hair. "I just never realized it. You look younger than me!" And he was going to turn eighteen this June.

Happy to hear such a comment, she told him, "I'm turning twenty this fall. It's coming so fast! Sometimes I wish time would just stop so I can enjoy more of my youth just a little longer!" Which was why she wanted to find a boyfriend and maybe someday get married.

Kise chuckled at her and the streetlight switched. They both walked at the same time and he glanced to the sky. "It might get dark soon," he smiled to himself. Looking down to her, he offered, "I can walk you home."

"Aw," she grinned happily. "Thanks, but I'll be fine. I don't want my mother bother me if I bring someone as cool as you home. Haha." He grinned at her remark. "Oh, a question," Sakai said, walking ahead and turned to face her back on a building. She looked at him and he blinked at her curiously, standing by her side. "Have you and your friends decide where to meet up in Tokyo?" she inquired. "Fuku-chan, oh, I mean Fukui keeps asking about it."

"Really?" Kise looked confused. "Tomimura never said anything about that… but yeah, we've decided."

Sakai beamed, "I bet Tomi-chan just didn't want to bother you with Fuku-chan's nagging."

He smiled, "Really? That's nice of her… Oh, now that we're out, mind if I call her to tell her about it."

She nodded, "Go ahead!"

Meanwhile…

Tomimura had just walked into her house and locked her front door. Heading into the living room, she felt a short breeze of air and froze in her steps. She listened quietly and faintly heard an echo from the outside. Walking slowly, she slowly reached into her bag and made her way to the kitchen. The back door was open. '_Damn_,' she quickly looked back. '_Today is_—'

As if from nowhere, a girl had jumped at Tomimura. Falling down face to face on the ground, it was a girl with long, straight dark red hair. Sitting on top of Tomimura, the girl was holding a short knife down to Tomimura's neck with both hands. While the girl was smirking like a little devil, Tomimura's hands were busying holding back the girls' wrists. Hearing her phone vibrating, Tomimura only thought to get her gun. It was a struggle for power now.

'_I can't fall here_,' Tomimura glared, gritting her teeth. Changing the direction of her strength and loosening her grip, the knife struck the floor and missed her neck by a centimeter. Tomimura used whatever strength she had and punched the girl on top of her in the face.

The girl with the dark red hair fell on her side and saw Tomimura reaching into her bag. Kicking Tomimura in the stomach, making her falling back, the girl rushed to her feet as fast as possible.

Back to Kise and Sakai.

"…She didn't pick up," Kise said, looking at his cell phone strangely.

"Hmm, well, call her again later," Sakai shrugged, looking at the cars passing by. "Or I can tell her myself." When Kise was quiet and dialed again, Sakai looked at him. His face had the word 'concern' all over his face and she gave him a strange look. "Kise-san? What's wrong?"

"She always pick up my calls," Kise told her, narrowing his eyes at the ground. "Why didn't she pick up?"

Sakai was confused. "…You must call her a lot then," she blinked, tilting her head.

"Er, well," Kise gave her an uneasy smile. "Unless I upset her and she turns her phone off… but other than that, she really do answer each of my calls." He stared at Sakai, who just wore a blank face. "Sakai-chan, don't you call her?"

"I only text," she replied innocently. "Why?"

He slowly looked away when the dial tone dropped again. "Nothing," he said, dialing again. "I was just asking…"

Sakai started to see how worried he was. Like something would end the whole world. Taking him seriously, she looked at her phone and at the time. '…_Wait a sec_,' Sakai's face went pale. '_The first round already started_…'

A moment later, Kise grunted, "She didn't pick up… Is she asleep?" When he turned to look at Sakai again, she instantly looked away and put her phone away. "Sakai-chan?"

"Oh, ah haha…" she laughed anxiously, briefly looked back at him. "M-Maybe she is asleep? And… I… uh… she did mentioned she usually take small naps around this hour." He stared at her strange change of behavior and she smiled again. "L-Let me try to call her."

"Okay…" he stared at her. When she took her phone again, he noticed her hands shaking a bit. She took a deep breath and looked away as her cool came back. Kise narrowed his eyes. '…_Does she know something_?' It was just a feeling he had and it did not feel very good. Something was up.

'_Tomi-chan_…' Sakai closed her eyes, terrified. Waiting for the other side to pick up, Sakai stared blankly when there was no answer. '_Ohhhhh… please win this round_…' she pleaded, dialing away again.

Kise started to see her shaking again. "…Sakai-chan?"

She flinched and took another deep breath. Smiling when she faced him, she asked, "Yes?"

He had a pause and slowly inquired, "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"No," her voice was steady and she simply smiled. "It's a girl's secret." He tilted his head and seemed puzzled. At the back of her mind, she was glad he did not seemed suspicious of her. But how long will he be like that? She took her phone away and shrugged, "No good… Maybe Tomi-chan is asleep. Or her phone possibly ran out of batteries."

At the same time she closed her phone, Kise went to call the same number again. She sweat dropped as he turned away. '_Tomimura_,' he thought, putting a hand in his pocket. '_Please, just pick up_…' After the sixth ring tone, there was a click. He smiled, "Tomimura!"

Sakai smiled with a relief thought, '_She answered_!'

Tomimura sighed on the other side of his phone and he waited for her first. "Kise-san," she mumbled tiredly.

"Oh, were you napping?" he grinned happily. She sound rather dead tired.

"Sorry, but call another time," she told him. "I have to take care of something first."

Kise nodded, feeling really relieved. He was worried for nothing. Simply because she always answered his calls. "Alright," he told her. "I had something to tell you, but I'll just tell Sakai-chan about it and she'll tell you and your friends."

"Right, bye."

"Well—" Tomimura hung up quickly. Kise blinked and closed his cell phone closely. Smiling, he turned to face Sakai, who beamed innocently at him. "Okay, about that second mixer…"

At Tomimura's house, she breathed slowly as she lay on her left side in the living room. In her right hand, under her right ear, she had clicked the first speed dial number. Keeping her eyes open weakly, she stared at the gun and blood on the floor. There were a few cuts on her arms and stab wound in her right thigh. The body of the girl who she fought was lying in the kitchen.

Her eyes lifted up when someone answered, "Did you win?" It was a deep voice, belonging to a man.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Yeah…" she replied. "Why else would I be calling?"

"Good job then," he said with no feeling. "I was worried that you have lost and was left alive to call… Now, I will send my men over to retrieve the body and clean up your place." With a pause, he inquired, "Are you injured?"

"Yes," she mumbled, feeling more faint.

The man sounded like he was scowling. "As long as you get the job done, I guess," he said without much of a heart. "I'll send someone to patch your wounds."

Tomimura slightly opened her eyes, "…Thanks." He hung up and she tried to end the call. Her hand lifted it up and she was able to end the call with her thumb. Just when she was about to lower it, her phone rang just a second later. With a blank stare, she read it was from Akashi. She dropped her hand and her phone fell off to the ground. She closed her eyes tiredly. '…_Sorry, but I can't talk to you right now_,' she thought to herself, slightly worried about him scolding her or something. Her mind started to drift off and her phone continued to ring on and off for a long while.

She smiled peacefully as ring continued to put her at ease. Maybe she will have good dreams tonight, knowing someone wanted to talk to her. Even if it was just Akashi calling to nag her about the love experiment, it still meant so much to her.


	11. Good Morning

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 11 was uploaded on November 9, 2013

***Note to everyone**: OMG, I just found out there's a character named Fukui in the Anime...! I DID NOT KNOW THAT! I SERIOUSLY DID NOT KNOW! So, please do not get confused because I am not going to change my OC's last name to something else. But I am sorry for not researching first.

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Good Morning**

Someone knocked quite loudly on the door. Two times. Tomimura opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling of the living room. A burnt out light bulb was in the center and she stared at the brownness. She seemed enchanted by it for a moment and then her phone started to ring. It disturbed her mind and she looked away from the burnt light bulb and gazed wearily to her right. Her bright yellow cell phone was on the coffee table.

While the ringing stopped, Tomimura noted the blood in her house was gone. All wiped away and clean. Then she heard voices at the door and slowly got up to listen closely.

"Tomimura-chan?" It was Yamauchi's voice. "I'm sorry, but are you in there? Are you okay?"

"Sorry if we couldn't come last night to take care of you," Seki's voice was now heard. "And if you're awake, I'll ask you to trouble yourself and open the door. We have school in one hour, you know?"

One hour? Tomimura leaned to get her phone and checked the time. It was almost 8 AM. She sighed and rubbed her head. '_Why did they have to come and visit early_?' she removed the blanket off of her and slowly moved her legs off the couch. "Ow," she winced. She had forgotten the wound in her right thigh, which had a white cloth-like bandage around her leg. Opening her phone, she called Yamauchi's number.

Within seconds, she picked up, "Tomimura-chan?"

"Ah, sorry," Tomimura rubbed the back of her head. "My leg's injured and I'm afraid if I stand on it… it might bleed." She can actually recall how deep the knife went into her thigh. Shivering at the thought, she added, "Is there anything you guys need?"

The phone ruffled and Seki's voice said, "We just wanted to see how you're doing. But if you can't move, then we'll come at another time."

Tomimura smiled uneasily, "Sorry for making you two walk all this way."

"No, just get well," Seki told her honestly. "…And I want the details of your round when I see you again. In private anyway."

"Okay," Tomimura leaned back on the couch with the phone against her ear.

The phone made a noise again. "Tomimura-chan," Yamauchi's voice sounded relieved. And a bit shaky. "I-I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks," Tomimura smiled.

"Yamauchi, someone is bound to get hurt or die," Seki said rather unfeeling. "You have to be prepared for loss since you already joined."

Yamauchi whined, "But still, you guys are my friends!" They started to talk at the same time and Tomimura could barely make sense of it and ignored them. "Tomimura-chan! I'll come tonight and cook something for you to eat, okay?"

"…Fine by me," Tomimura felt her spirits lifting up. As always, Yamauchi was nice. After exchanging goodbyes, Tomimura ended the call first and listened the girls in the front leaving her doorsteps. Now looking through her list of missed calls from yesterday, her eyes stared blankly at Akashi's name. He called eleven times. Down the list, Kise called four times and Sakai tried twice.

Closing her phone shut, she rested it over her belly and stared at the burnt light bulb again. She did not remember when it got burned like that. The brownness of it reminded her of someone because it had the same color of that person's hair. It was soothing to stare at it and she felt her eyes dropping.

All of a sudden, she realized the whole house was quiet and she started to feel nervous. '_The CD player_…' she moved to sit up. "Ow!" The sharp pain in her thigh struck her frozen and she frowned. The phone next rung and her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. Looking at the phone that was still in her hand, her face turned sour. It was Akashi again. Her hands took its time to open the phone and answering it. She paused when she put it to her ear.

"…Good morning," Akashi's voice greeted first. He sounded normal.

She slowly moved to lie back down and put the blanket over her legs. "Morning," she greeted back, wondering what he was going to say next. She did not call him last night. Was he mad?

"What happened yesterday afternoon?"

'_There he goes_,' she made a face. Straight to the point. Feeling rather nervous, she tried to sound different. "Ohhh… I got beat up a bit… nothing much," she dryly replied. She wanted to be as honest as possible because she felt he would only be suspicious of her.

There was a pause. She heard nothing on his side, but there were slight movements. "Are you hurt?" he inquired. She was quiet and had her mouth slightly opened. The thought of him asking that question never crossed her mind. Was he that kind of person? She finally blinked when he asked again, "Are you hurt?" Now he sounded impatient.

"I think I'll be fine tomorrow," she lied. He was quiet again and she made a face. Not being able to see his expression was hard. Especially when he was being soundless. Then she wondered if it was hard for him too since his eyes were always studying another person. "You were right. I think something's been following me the past few days… and it pretty much beat me up." She tried to think of something to talk about. Having his silent on his end felt strange.

He scoffed, "I'm always right."

'_How arrogant_,' she closed her eyes to rest them.

"You owe me two calls," he told her right away. Tomimura snapped her eyes open and said nothing. "…If you don't want to talk, then I'm going to go and get ready."

"Ah, wait," she uttered. Surprised at herself, she closed her mouth.

He took a moment before asking, "Do you want company?" She softened her eyes and kept her thoughts to herself. "…Tell me something about yourself, Tomimura," he initiated.

The tone in his voice sounded all the same like in a monotone. "I don't know where to start," she frowned. "You go first."

"I was already first to suggest it."

"You don't give up easily, do you?" she sighed, rubbing her head. She stared up at the ceiling and paused. Maybe there was one thing she would talk about herself. "I'm a Sagittarius," she said, almost smirking. "…Your turn."

"I'm a Sagittarius too." She blinked and strangely stared at the phone. His voice continued and she could still hear him pretty well. "I have a friend. His name is Midorima Shintarou. He mentioned before that a male Sagittarius is compatible with a female Sagittarius. And they should have a lot in common too."

Putting the phone back to her ear, Tomimura voiced quietly, "You… have got to be kidding me." In no way she would have a lot in common with him. It was ridiculous.

"He also said neither the male and female Sagittarius will be too emotional, which is good," he sounded pleased. "And I can tell you shield your emotions pretty well. I believe we will get along."

Trying to think of a way to get back at him, she wondered, "What other signs are Sagittarius compatible with?"

"…Libra."

Perfect. She grinned, "Oh, then you should try to get along with Sakai better. She's a Libra."

Akashi slightly sounded annoyed, "Tomimura. I told you not to mention another girl again when it comes to the experiment."

Realizing it now, she glared little by little. "…We're doing the experiment right now?" she questioned.

"What else will we be doing?" he asked calmly.

She thought he called because he was worried. But all of this talk was for the sake of his experiment? Biting her lower lip, she put her other arm over her eyes. '_Damn, and I almost_…' she did not dare to finish that line. "Akashi, I'm sorry, but I'm going to hang up now."

"Tomi—"

Cutting him off, she turned her phone off and almost swung her arm to throw it to the wall. But then calming herself, she turned her body to bury her face into her yellow pillow. Holding the cell phone close, she was deeply disappointed. "…No, it's my fault," she mumbled. She agreed to do the experiment. She should not be expecting anything more. Or anything less.

After a few minutes of silence, she turned her phone back on and pressed the first speed dial. Putting the phone to her ears, someone picked it up on the first ring. "Boss, did you already call my school that I can't go today?" she inquired.

"Yes, I gave you a whole week of excuse," he told her. It was the same deep voice from last night. Tomimura smiled. "That should be enough for you, right? If your leg still have not yet recover by then, just cover up your wound with leggings and you'll be fine."

"Understood," she smiled wider. As much as he was strict and an ass, she liked it when he cared for her and her friends.

"…If that is all," he slowly said.

"Yes, sir," she told him. She waited for him to hang up first and then she ended the call. With a soft giggle, she buried her face into her pillow again. '_I feel so much better now_,' she thought. '_Damn that _Ba_-kashi_.'

When her other arm moved under the pillow, she felt a book. Forgetting she had placed it there days ago, she took the book out and moved on her back once again. The book cover was brown with no title, its pages thick. There were about ten different small handmade bookmarks in different pages. The bookmarks were also in different colors: two red, eight blue, and one yellow.

Tomimura put her cell phone down on the floor and her reached under the couch, which she took a black inked pen. It was right where she would put it. Opening the book to the page where she left off, she slowly brought up her legs and put her book against them. On a new page, she added the date of April and sighed. "Time to write for this month's entry…" she blinked as she mumbled. Though there was still more than a week left, she really did not care too much. With her pen, she talked as she wrote, "I met a few of Kise-san's friends…"

In Kyoto, Akashi was sitting on the edge of his bed and was already dressed up in his school uniform. His right foot was on the bed while the other on the ground. His right arm was wrapped around his right knee and he was staring at his red cell phone in his right hand. The call had already ended and he stared at Tomimura's name for a long while until he finally closed it.

"As much as I hate to admit it…" he stood up, staring at his cell phone. "I was wrong… she does get emotional," he said rather indifferently. Not being able to see her face was quite a challenge to him.

His eyes slowly looked over to his desk in front of them. Everything was positioned neatly and there was a manga along with his belongings, which stood out like a sore thumb. Standing up from his bed, he walked toward it and picked the manga up with his left hand. The cover had a blond haired guy who wrapped his arms around a girl with short brown hair. While the guy was smirking, leaning close to her face, girl seemed irritated and her hands were trying to push him away.

"…Shoujo manga are strange," he murmured to himself, staring blankly at cover.

* * *

**Author's note**: Okay. Time for a break from writing!

Again, sorry for not knowing there was a character named Fukui in the Anime already. The OC Fukui here and the Fukui in the Anime ARE NOT related in any way. Well, they can be distant cousins, but no.

Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you like.


	12. I Have A Favor To Ask Of You

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 12 was uploaded on November 12, 2013

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 12: I Have A Favor To Ask Of You**

The day before the second mixer…

"Ehhh, you're sick?" Kise questioned a worried look on his face. School hours were over and he was on his way back home. A few girls on the other side of the street were whispering when they recognized Kise, the model. "And you think you can't make it to the mixer tomorrow?"

Her voice was hoarse when she replied, "Yeah…"

Concerned, Kise put up a smile, "Sorry to hear that… Then it should be fine. You don't have to be there, Tomimura." She sighed tiredly and he wondered what he could do for her. "Do you have anyone with you to take care of you?" He was asking because he never heard anyone's voice when they talked on the phone before. And she was always cooking for herself in the kitchen.

"…I do," she answered, slightly moaning in pain.

Kise did not know whether to believe her or not. So he just smiled, "Get well soon then."

"Thanks, Kise-san," she said, breathing slowly. "Have fun… My friends who are going to the next mixer shouldn't cause too much problems. They act tough and do not get as emotional as Sakai… Not that I'm talking bad about Sakai. And at least Akashi won't be there to make the girls upset."

"Heh, yeah," he grinned. There was a pause he had and a thought. '…_There's Aomine-cchi, Midorima-cchi, and Murasakibara-cchi_…' he remembered. The trio sounded like a bit of trouble to him. He smiled nervously and hoped everyone will get along with each other. That was why Kise would be there though.

"Oh, and my friends said they'll meet with you… at the… um, that one train station," she tried to remember. She coughed for a second and then said, "I told them you were tall and blond… I'm sure they won't miss you. One of them even offered to carry a sign with my name on it…"

He nodded, "Heh, right."

Tomimura almost mumbled, "Okay, well… I'm going to rest now."

"Kay," Kise smiled to himself. She sounded so tired, so he did not want to bother her rest. "Again, get well soon."

"Thanks again, Kise-san," she said, sounding very grateful. He waited for her to end the call first. When she did, he closed his phone and looked up. He just walked pass by a small jewelry shop. Finding it familiar, he recalled he met Tomimura here. With a curious smile, he decided to go in and to take a closer look inside.

The bell on the door rung when he opened it and a girl at the cashier looked over to him. "Welcome," she tried to smile from where she was sitting. It was Koizumi, Tomimura's friend with the red-ish brown hair, which was tied to a high ponytail. But of course, Kise did not know she was the girl who would be going to the second mixer.

Kise beamed, "Hello." Koizumi looked down and was working on something on her lap. The counter blocked his view to see what exactly she was doing, but he did not pry on it. While Kise walked in further, passing by the tall stands of earrings and bracelets, he stopped by the front counter that held up a few necklaces. One caught his eyes. It was a silver chained necklace with a single small white feather. '_Tomimura was touching this before_,' he actually remembered. Did she like it, but did not buy it?

When he reached out to it, Koizumi said, "Sorry, but you can't buy that."

He stopped his hand that had nearly touched it and he looked over to her. The dull red eyes of hers gave him a silent look. Then he noticed she was hand sewing with a red strings on a white fabric and a needle in her other hand. "…I can't?" he smiled blankly. "Why not? It's for sale, isn't it?"

"I had a friend who loved it very much," Koizumi told him. She looked back down, sewing again. There was no shape in white fabric yet, so she must have just begun to make it.

Kise looked confused, noting she used a past tense. "You _had_ a friend who loved it?" he inquired. She nodded and said nothing. Kise looked back to the feather necklace and sighed with a bit of a letdown. Maybe the cashier girl's friend was away and could not buy it. "Too bad…" he faintly smiled. The necklace might look good around Tomimura's neck.

"Did you want to buy it for your girlfriend?" she questioned, not looking up. Since he had a pretty face, she figured he must be doing something like that. What other reason would he be interested in it?

He smiled to her and leaned forward on the counter. "No, she's just a friend," he replied with an awkward smile. "And I guess I was kind of planning to buy it for her… She's sick, you see." Koizumi did not respond and he smiled uneasily. '_Am I disturbing her_?' Then maybe he should just look around a little more. But then he realized he just continued talking, "You like sewing?"

She stopped and stared at her needle. Not wanting to be rude and tell him off, she looked up at him. "Un," she nodded.

He probably hit her spot to get her comfortable to talk. Smiling, he asked, "What are you making?"

"I don't know yet," she shrugged. He blinked at her and she went back to sewing. "I just let it come to me."

"Neat," he chuckled.

'_Really_?' she flattened her eyes. He better leave soon. She was feeling really bothered. A young female costumer came in and Koizumi looked at Kise. "Please feel free to look around," she said, trying to end their conversation.

He nodded and walked off. It did not even take a minute until he walked out of the store. Taking a few steps, he looked through the glass window and glanced to Koizumi. She was still working on her little project. '_That felt kind of weird_,' he blinked uncomfortably to himself.

The moment his eyes averted away from the window shop, a girl jogged around him as she whistled. "Aw, heya cutie!" she beamed.

Kise only saw her smile and her light brown hair, which was tied up on the left side of her head. Giggling, she had already gone off and then quickly entered the shop. He looked ahead of him and thought, '_That's the first time a girl whistled at me_.' He simply smiled with a chuckle.

An hour later, Tomimura woke up from a long dream and wondered what it was about. Her eyes stared at the brunt out light bulb once again and she let out a sigh. "I'm… so bored," she closed her eyes halfway. Her head hurts and her throat was killing her. The cup on the coffee table had no water. Taking her phone, she decided to give someone a call. On the small screen of her cell phone, she stared at the names of seven girls, workplace, and Akashi.

Sakai Yua was the name with the other six girls. The one name that made her realized something.

'_I never asked Sakai's younger sister if she wanted to come to the mixers… did I_?' Tomimura thought, feeling a little bad. Then again, the little sister probably said no too. Although, it would never hurt to ask if Sakai Yua was interested.

Tomimura clicked and Akashi's name was highlighted. She had already owed him two calls, but he called the last time two days ago, so it was her turn again. Deciding to talk to him, she selected his name and then put the phone to her left ear as she turned to lie on her right side to stare at the emptied cup. He picked it up after the fifth tone. "Good afternoon, Akashi," she said in a monotone.

"Good afternoon," he greeted. There was wind in the background.

She frowned, "Must I really say something that every time we talk?"

"Yes." Closing her eyes in annoyance, she tried to keep the things his way. It is his experiment after all. "Tomimura… you sound different."

She grumbled, "Yeah, but its nothing." Perhaps she should not have called him. Using her voice was more than of a pain she had thought.

"Are you sick?" he inquired.

In the background, she heard faint voices of other people and more wind. Rubbing her throat, she finally replied, "Just a little… I had it for a two days now."

"You live alone, right?"

"…Yeah."

He sighed, "Is anyone taking care of you?"

"Seki comes over often with Yamauchi," she told him. He sounded like he was nagging and she did not want to trouble him with her being sick. "So I won't be going to the second mixer tomorrow… my body is still hurting too, now that I think about it."

There was a pause and she heard keys tinkling and a man greeting Akashi. "Tell me where you live," Akashi boldly demanded.

Tomimura could not believe what she just heard. "No," she said immediately, narrowing her eyes. "We're not in that phase yet, remember?"

"Just tell me," a door slammed. Before she could utter a word, he added, "You should feel honor that I'm going to take my time tomorrow just to see you." She did not any feel honor, just frustration. "As for the experiment—"

"Shut up," she tried to raise her breaking voice. "I don't want you to come to my house and talk about the experiment. Not when I'm sick. Bye." She clicked the end call button as quickly as possible and closed her phone. Her head was beating and she closed her eyes as she rubbed the pain between her eyes. Her phone started to ring and she checked only to see Akashi calling. Ignoring it, she turned her head and tried to get more sleep.

In Akashi's bedroom, he stared coldly as he got no answer from her. Setting his school bag on the ground, he turned to his desk as he started to call another number. Now placing the phone next to his right ear, he waited. And it only took two seconds for the person to pick up the call. "Seki, I have a flavor to ask of you," he started.

Seki chuckled softly, "Sure. I'll be happy to assist in your love quest."

"I want to visit Tomimura at her house tomorrow," he told her straight out. "Tell me where she lives."

In the background, he heard a light object dropped on something. "Oh…?" she had a pause. "She's sick though. Did you want to catch her flu?"

He replied, "I just want to visit her."

"Hmm," she thought to herself. "…If you phase it as, 'I want to see her,' then I might be able to help you."

Akashi's eyes did not change, but he was rather quiet. While waiting, she was doing something else and moved things around on her side. "I… want to see her," he said, lowering his eyes. He decided to say it not because Seki wanted to hear it. He was not sure if he was honest either, but the sentence itself still applied to go and visit her. So it made no difference to him.

"When do you plan to come over?" she inquired.

"Judging by the time of the train schedule, I will get there before noon."

Something fell in the background and she sighed. "Oh, then meet me at Shiroki Mall, since it'll be easier," she told him. "Yamauchi and I planned to see Tomimura anyway. So we'll all go together. Is that fine with you?"

"Anything works," he smiled.

Seki then chuckled, "Are we doing this behind Tomimura's back?"

"Yes, we are."

"Alright, sounds fun," she expressed with an amused voice. "I can't wait to see what happens."

Akashi smirked, "Me too." Though, he had a feeling what would happen. He looked over to his desk as they both hang up on their phone conversation. On his desk, he had bought two more volumes of the same series, making three in total. '_Maybe I should start putting them into use_,' he thought to himself, running his fingers on the third volume.

* * *

**Author's note**: Sorry for any mistakes you see. I do reread after writing and correct them a week later sometimes.

Thanks for reading!


	13. Second Mixer, Here We Come

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 13 was uploaded on November 14, 2013

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

Texting

* * *

**Chapter 13: Second Mixer, Here We Come**

On the Sunday morning, Kise was on his way to the train station. It was only about one more block away and he walked with a few other people who were headed there as well, while some other were leaving. '_I wonder how the other three girls are like_,' he grinned to himself. And will anything spark between the girls and his friends? Kise heard from Kagami he was getting along with Yamauchi. That was one good sign.

At the front gate of the station, he noticed a tall girl holding a sign that read: Tomimura Mizuki's Friends. He smiled and saw two other girls with her. The tall girl's long brown hair was kept down, reaching over her whole back. The girl to her right had light brown hair, which she tied it up on the left side of her head. Kise blinked when he saw the third girl was somewhat familiar.

Dressed in black jeans and gray long sleeves, Koizumi was the first to see him. '_Tall and blond, right_?' she stared curiously at Kise's figure, gripping on her brown bag on her right shoulder. She remembered him and could not believe he was the person Tomimura mentioned about.

"Oh!" Moto, the tall girl, saw Kise too. She waved with a big smile. "Kise-san!" She was wearing a tight baby blue T-shirt and blue jeans. Around her left shoulder was her pink bag.

The girl to her right looked around quickly and noticed Kise waving back with a kind smile. "Aw, whaaaa a cutie!" she grinned. She was wearing a simple ruby shirt and a black mini skirt with gray leggings. Her orange bag was over her right shoulder.

Kise was still walking to them, but Moto hurried and ran towards him. "Hey," he greeted when she almost bumped into him. Her sign was just paper, but it was pretty big.

"Hello!" Moto smiled rather sweetly. Quickly crumbling the sign, she threw the trashcan that was conveniently next to her. "You must be Sakai-chan's guy! I'm Moto Shizuka!" And before she let him talk, she opened her arms and asked, "Can I get a hug?"

"Ah…" he smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. She jumped on him right away and giggled with her arms wrapped under his arms. He stared blankly and she quickly backed away with laughing smile. '_This is great. Someone is bound to like this girl_,' Kise smiled at her, rubbing his chin. His eyes then looked over to the other two girls. '_Maybe Murasakibara-cchi? He likes tall girls, right_?' Moto appeared to be as tall as Akashi and she was taller than the girls.

Koizumi and the girl with the light brown hair stood behind Moto. "Hi hi, Kise-tan," the girl with the hair tied up on one side of her head greeted with a small bow. "Name's Fukui Kotone."

He nodded and smiled to Koizumi. She nodded to him, "Koizumi Sayuri."

"It's pretty cool that we ran into each other before, huh?" he smiled happily. It was like fate.

"…Not really," Koizumi said expressionlessly.

"Oh?" Fukui smiled to Koizumi. "Ya already met 'im, Koizumi-tan? When wah dat?"

Moto quickly interrupted, "No, now's not the time! We should get on the train and pick seats first!" She then took Koizumi's hand, who blinked, and dragged her to the station. "Off we go! To the mixer in Tokyo!"

Kise was slightly at loss with words. Fukui walked around behind him and pushed his back first. "Time ta go, Kise-tan!" she chuckled.

As they all board the train, and being seated, Kise was between Moto and Fukui. As for Koizumi, she was sitting next to Moto's right and stared out the window to the sky. She was not talking while the other two continued to chat with the tall blonde. Speaking of blonde, Koizumi made a dry look when she saw a familiar person running towards the train they were in. There was a ring and the train was going to close its doors.

"Gah!" Sakai made it just in time. To her right, she saw the others and they all looked at her. "I made it!" she laughed and walked to sit between Kise and Fukui. She was wearing a one-piece turquoise dress.

Moto smiled widely, "Eh, Sakai, why are you here?"

"I'm here in Tomi-chan's place!" Sakai winked, leaning close to Kise.

Doing the same, Moto leaned close to Kise's arm. "Really?" she teased. "Tomimura-chan never mentioned this." Although, she believed it too, but it was funnier to kid around than to be serious.

"Who cares," Fukui grinned, leaning against Sakai. "The more de merrier, right, Sakai-tan?"

Kise, being in the center of two girls at his sides, chuckled at them. Both Moto and Sakai were slightly pushing him from side to side and he uneasily smiled at them, "Um, girls?"

"Give him room, Sakai-chan," Moto giggled, rubbing her cheek on Kise's shoulder.

Sakai pouted, "Then let Koi-chan sit to Kise-kun instead. At least I know she won't have her sights on the guy I'm interested in."

Koizumi frowned and kept staring outside. The train begun to move and they were now on their way to Tokyo.

Moto smiled to Kise, "Kise-san, be careful of Sakai-chan. She's really possessive."

While he simply looked straight ahead, Sakai pouted even more, "Geez, not all the time."

Kise needed help. The two girls right next to him were getting pushy. It sounded like Moto meant no harm, but she continued to tease Sakai because it was amusing to her. And Sakai was too blind to see it and was getting slightly jealous because of Moto being too close to him. '_I wonder how long the ride's going to be_,' he thought, spacing out. He thought about getting up, but then…

"Eah, enough," Fukui stood up and took Sakai's arm forcefully. "Ya're bothering Kise-tan, silly Sakai-tan."

Sakai blinked as Fukui dragged her over to the seat across from them. "But Fuku-chan," she tried not to whine. They both sat down and Moto stick her tongue out in victory and stopped leaning against Kise.

Narrowing her eyes, Fukui gave Moto a serious, yet childish, look. "Ya too, Moto-tan," she pointed, accusing her. "Behave like Koizumi-tan next ta ya, kay?" Moto nodded willingly and leaned over to Koizumi playfully.

"Stop it, Moto-san," Koizumi grumbled to Moto, who just hugged her.

"But Koizumi-chan's cute," Moto giggled, her arms hanging from Koizumi's neck.

Fukui giggled and looked at Kise. "Sorry about 'em, Kise-tan," she bowed her head. "These two are always like dat. Best not ta get between 'em again, kay?"

Sakai pouted and kept quiet for a moment.

He smiled at Fukui, "It's fine… but thanks." Seemed like the girls listened to Fukui. For someone who talked somewhat childish, he never would have thought she had control over the hyper girls. '_Would Tomimura have done the same_?' he wondered curiously with a chuckle. Speaking of which, he hoped she was getting enough rest.

"I wonder how the guys we're going to meet are like," Moto giggled, rubbing her cheek against Koizumi's cheek. Koizumi said nothing and let Moto enjoy herself.

Fukui smiled widely, "Tomimura-tan said they all played basketball, right?"

"Yeah," Sakai beamed.

Kise felt his cell phone vibrating and took it out of his pocket. It was from Murasakibara. He opened and answered it, "Yeah?"

"_Oi_, Kise-chin," Murasakibara greeted in his tone of laziness. "I'm bringing Muro-chin along too."

Surprised, Kise asked, "Why?!" All of the girls looked at him, wondering whom he was talking to since his face seemed pale for some reason.

"Eh?" Murasakibara wondered. "…Because getting on the train alone is boring? It was lonely the first time we met up days ago. And Muro-chin said he would like to come and see us get girlfriends."

Kise rubbed his face and told him, ""But with his good looks, none of the girls would even look at you, Midorima-cchi, or Aomine-cchi!"

"That's what you're worry about?" both Murasakibara and Moto asked at the same time, but Murasakibara said it much slower.

With a long pause, Kise stared at Moto, wondering if he heard her right. She blinked and then grinned. Taking his yellow cell phone, she said, "Hello! I'm Moto Shizuka! I'm assuming I'll be seeing you at the mixer, hm?"

At the same time as Kise's hand twitched to want to get his phone back, Moto went to lean against Koizumi again. Murasakibara questioned, "Who's this?"

Moto giggled, "I'm not going to repeat myself, mister guy-on-the-phone."

Murasakibara sighed, "Okay, tell Kise-chin that me and Muro-chin are already in the moving train for two hours now."

"I will," she nodded. When he hung up without a goodbye, Moto closed Kise's phone and handed it back to his opened palm. "He said he's already in the train with Muro-something. And it's already been two hours since."

Kise slapped his face and kept his phone in his opened palm. '_Oh well_,' he grunted. "…Second mixer, here we come."

"Yay!" Fukui cheered with her arms thrown in the air.

"Whooo!" Sakai did the same.

Moto laughed, "Ahaha! And I'm not leaving until I get a guy's number!"

Glancing to her friends, Koizumi softly sighed. They were so excited about the mixer. But to her, her heart was racing. She almost regret coming out and going with them to talk to boys. She felt scared as well. Scared of getting hurt. Her arms moved to the window and she set her chin on them. '_It'll be fine_,' she told herself. It would all be fine.

In Tokyo, Midorima was only just begun walking on the streets. As naturally as he tried to be, he still could not believe he was going to the mixer. At the very least, Takao still had not caught Midorima doing something as absurd as this. Holding an orange in his left hand as a lucky charm, he was mentally prepared for the day.

'_My horoscope says I'll find an interest today_,' he thought calmly. He doubted it though, even if he felt slightly nervous about how the mixer will turn out.

In a bedroom, Aomine was still sleeping and had just woken up when there was a chill in the air. He turned his body over and blinked at the time on his blue alarm clock. '…_Damn_,' he just remembered, throwing his face into the pillow. '_The second mixer… I should start getting ready_.'

"Hm?" Kuroko looked at the time on his cell phone. He was sitting outside of his home on the porch and blinked. '…_The second mixer should be starting_.' He hoped for the best of his other three friends.

* * *

**Author's note**: Gah… the coming weekend is going to be busy for me. I'm not even sure if I'll update the next chapter in three or four days… But thanks for reading!


	14. The Sparks Are Flying

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 14 was uploaded on November 18, 2013

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Sparks Are Flying**

"Check it out, we're in Tokyo!" Moto threw her arms in the air as she ran around outside of a small Pizza restaurant. It was a fine weather yet again and people were out and eating inside and outside of the restaurant. Yes, Kise and friends were planning on pizza for lunch. And seemed like the girls and Kise were there first.

While Moto had run off toward the other end of the area of the restaurant, Fukui and Sakai picked out a square table together, which was in the center of the other tables. "I wonder wah I should get Yamauchi-tan as a souvenir," Fukui chuckled to herself, seated first. She placed her orange bag on the ground, making sure it was right next to her feet.

The table consisted fours chairs and Sakai was looking around. "Hmm, maybe we should combine two tables together," Sakai said with her hands on her hips. Being one step ahead of her, Kise had already pulled table up close. Then Sakai quickly moved the chairs in the center. As the two tables connected, Koizumi sat by Fukui. And Koizumi's seat was in between of the two tables.

"You're going to get Yamauchi a souvenir?" Koizumi questioned Fukui. "Why?"

Fukui smirked and waved her hand, "Cause Yamauchi-tan wanted ta come with us, but she was worried for Tomimura-tan and stuff… tis is why I promised I'll get her somethin', see?"

After rearranging the chairs, Kise sat by the corner, which was Fukui's right, and Sakai went to sit next to his right side. Moto returned back to them and sat next to Koizumi. "I can't wait to get this started," Kise could not stop grinning happily.

"What should we do when everyone is here?" Moto beamed with a cheerful face.

Sakai clapped her hands after a quick thought. "We can play a little game!" she suggested rather excitedly.

Moto snickered, "And the price is to have Kise-san!"

"We're not gonna over tis again, are we?" Fukui leaned forward to smile at Moto.

"No, of course not," Moto laughed lightly while Sakai pointed. Still smiling, Moto watched Sakai talking to Kise about what kind of pizza they liked to eat. Her eyes wandered to the left and soon Moto caught sight of a tall green haired guy. He appeared to be walking towards them and his eyes were on them.

Pushing up his glasses, Midorima suddenly felt uneasily. '_Here goes nothing_,' he thought to himself.

"Hello!" Moto called out loudly, waving her hand. At the table, everyone was startled by her shout. Midorima remained calm and walked up to their table. "Wow, you look so dead serious!" Moto giggled at him.

"Hey, Midorima-cchi!" Kise smiled. Midorima seemed quiet and kept standing up near Moto's seat. "Go on, sit."

Moto then grabbed Midorima's arm and forced him to sit down the seat closer to her. But then she hit her elbow on the corner of the table, letting him go, and winced quietly as her put her head on the table. Midorima was still standing and did not seemed bothered by her.

Koizumi patted on Moto's back, "…You okay?"

"…I just… hit a nerve," Moto mumbled, trying not to laugh her pain off. Her pinky was hurting due to the nerve shock.

Fukui chuckled and smiled to Midorima, "Hello!"

Not making any eye contact, Midorima just nodded. And then he took his seat. He looked across the two tables in front of him and straight to Kise who was on the other end with Sakai close to him. "Kise, who is the girl who decided to do this idea with you?" he inquired out of curiosity.

Kise smiled, "Oh, Tomimura's sick and wasn't able to make it."

"And I'm her replacement," Sakai smiled, pointing to herself. "Sakai Rin!"

Midorima closed his eyes, "Huh."

"Oiiii, Kise-chin…" a voice started to call.

Everyone all looked. Moto, Koizumi, and Fukui had to turn their heads to their backs while Kise, Sakai, and Midorima simply glanced over their shoulders. A very tall purple haired guy was waving with a yellow lollipop in his hand; around his arm was a bag of other snacks and sweets. Beside him was a black haired guy, who had a mole under his left eye.

Just when Kise was going to greet them happily, Moto squealed. "Oh my gosh!" she stood up quickly. While the others watched her run off, she directly went to Himuro and they both stopped in front of each other. "You're so handsome!" Moto giggled, jumping in for a hug.

"Eh?" Murasakibara looked at them, walking slower. Himuro smiled, feeling a bit awkward at Moto's direct approach and she was still hugging him. Kise slapped his own face, knowing something like this was going to happen. And while Moto hugged Himuro longer, Murasakibara grabbed the back of her shirt and tugged her off, but then she wouldn't easily let go. "Hey, let Muro-chin go, little girl."

Fukui was laughing at them in the background while Koizumi was staring at Himuro for a good few seconds and looked away. "Moto-tan," Fukui started to call for her. "Please respect the bubbles of de others."

When Moto let go on her will, Murasakibara was still holding onto her shirt. He then realized she was a bit tall than the other girls he met before. She grinned and twirled in place until Murasakibara let her go. She fixed her shirt and bowed, "Hello!" She then stood up straight and chuckled at the two of them. "Do excuse my level of excitement." Then she looked at Himuro, "I hope I didn't offend you in any way."

Himuro smiled courteously, "No, of course not."

"Aw, handsome and polite," Moto smiled rather heavenly, crossing her arms behind her and tilting her head. "I like you already."

'_Forget him, he already have a lot of girls on his tail already_!' Kise wanted to shout, but held it in and only sighed heavily. Maybe he should have asked more friends of Tomimura to come, just so his friends can get a chance with a girl.

During which Moto went back to sit by Koizumi and close to Midorima, Murasakibara and Himuro went around to Kise's side, going around the corner of the table and sat close to Sakai's right. "Oh," Sakai looked at Murasakibara close to her. "We have ten people, right? We need one more chair for the last person then."

"You're right," Kise completely forgotten. While Sakai volunteered herself to get up to get an extra chair, Kise looked around. "I hope Aomine-cchi is not going to be late for a mixer."

Koizumi questioned, "Why are you carrying an orange?"

Her question was, of course, directed to no one other than Midorima himself. And everyone turned to him. "It's my lucky charm," Midorima replied to Koizumi, glancing to her.

Moto was the first to laugh, "Aw, that's so cute!"

"Yeah, I hadn't had a lucky charm since eight," Sakai beamed, remembering the good old days. She took an extra chair to place it by Himuro's right, which was close to Midorima's left.

"Ya weirdo," Fukui hid her smile behind her fingers. Midorima had no comment.

Kise watched the girls looking over to Midorima now. While Murasakibara was munching and thinking to himself, Kise smiled. '_Well, looks like Midorima-cchi is getting some attention now_.' Kise thought and was rather pleased. He was actually afraid no girls would even look at him. Thank goodness for Midorima!

Five minutes later…

"Here he comes," Himuro said with his eyes to his right.

Again, everyone all turned to look. Aomine yawned when he was in everyone's view. He blinked and his eyes had tiny tears in them. When he approached them, he took the last seat and leaned his left elbow on the corner of the table. "I wasn't late, was I?" Aomine asked, looking at the girls' chests. He noticed Moto's chest was bigger. Maybe because she was taller.

Fukui covered up her chest when she saw where his eyes were looking. "Geez, ya're supposed ta look at our faces, not down there," she giggled at him.

"Let's just get this over wait," Aomine sighed, lazily looking at Kise.

"Right then," Kise beamed, looking over to Fukui next to him. "Why don't we start with you first and then Koizumi-san can go next? Don't forget to add a bit about yourself too."

Nodding, Fukui stood up and bowed. "Nice ta meet all of you, my name Fukui Kotone," she remained standing up. With a finger to her lips, she added, "I love ta cook everyday. It's become more than a hobby ta me now. Heh heh." Fukui quickly sat back down on her chair.

Breathing a bit, Koizumi stayed seated and introduced herself indifferently. "I am Koizumi Sayuri," she nodded. Her eyes barely met any of their gazes. "I like sewing."

"I'm Moto Shizuka!" the tall girl raised her hand, smiling joyfully. "You can say I'm the big smile of the group and I tend to do a lot of crazy things! I can't help it, so please forgive my rudeness that I always fail to notice!"

"That's why I'm here ta make sure ya behave," Fukui chuckled to herself.

Midorima was next and he said, "I'm Midorima Shintarou. I'm a Cancer."

"Who carries lucky charms," Moto grinned to him and he gave her a blank look in return.

"…Aomine Daiki," the blue haired tanned guy said. He waved a little and his eyes at no one really. "I love basketball."

"Hey," Sakai pouted to him and he gave her a look. "We all know you guys like basketball. Tell us something we don't know."

He could not believe that was not enough, but he decided to go along with it. "Uh…" he thought out loud for a moment. What else did he like? He smirked a little, "I like girls with big boobs." Koizumi looked away with a disgusted face. Aomine frowned, "Hey, I saw that. What's wrong with liking big boobs?"

Moto laughed loudly and Aomine looked at her. "Oh, I don't know," Moto answered for Koizumi. "But I'm sure our other friend, Seki-chan, will have something to comment about it for sure!"

Aomine narrowed his eyes, "What, don't tell me you girls don't like guys with big di—"

"My name is Himuro Tatsuya," the guy with the mole under his eye quickly interrupted with a smile. He had to do it or else Aomine would have said a forbidden word. What if these girls were pure and innocent? "I know I was not supposed to be here, but I thought it would be amusing if I came."

"Then I'm glad you came, Himuro-san," Moto giggled softly, winking at him.

Sakai looked away with a happy thought, '_Hopefully Moto-chan won't make fun of me and bother Kise anymore_.' Now Sakai can have Kise all to herself, even if Moto had no intentions of taking a friend's guy away. Moto was not like that at all.

Koizumi was sitting across from Himuro since the two of them were in the center of the two tables. She kept her eyes away and would stare at the table or other things that were going around them. But the only thing that went through her head was, '_Himuro's pretty cute_.' Then she would remind herself Moto had already seemed to call dips on him. So Koizumi tried to think of something else.

Murasakibara realized it was his turn when Himuro elbowed him in the arm. "And I'm Murasakibara Atsushi," the purple haired guy said before eating chips. "Things that I like are—"

Moto giggled, "Hello, A-chan!"

He frowned at her, "Don't call me that."

"A-chan," Fukui repeated, but more to herself. Murasakibara gave her a look too and Fukui nodded to herself. "That sounds really cute! A fitting name for such tall guy who looks like a child. Haha!"

All the while Murasakibara tiredly staring at the two hyper girls, Aomine talked over them. "And what about the girl with the blond hair?" Aomine pointed. "She hadn't gone yet."

"Oh, you don't know," Sakai beamed. "I was from the first mixer. I came here to replace Tomi-chan because she was sick."

"Tomi-chan?" Aomine raised an eyebrow. As if he knew what the hell she was talking about.

Kise smiled, "Tomimura was the one who asked these girls to come for this mixer, Aomine-cchi."

"Oh," Aomine blinked. "…But you're not going to introduce yourself anyway?"

"Mind as well," Sakai nodded. Murasakibara stopped talking and everyone was slightly quiet. "I'm Sakai Rin. I like to dance."

"There, are we done now?" Midorima pushed up his glasses, eager to leave before his horoscope was right.

"So soon?" Moto laughed softly at him. "We haven't even started ordering for pizza yet!"

"I'll go in and get some for us," Fukui stood up with a smile. She looked at everyone quickly, "Who likes ta eat what on their pizza? Chicken? Pineapple? Mushrooms?"

"Any is fine," Kise kindly told her.

Murasakibara stood up, "I'll get something for the guys and you can get something for the girls."

Fukui nodded as she walked around the table and to him. "Sounds fair enough," she smiled up to him. And wow, he was seriously tall. She felt like her neck would break if she looked at him for too long. As they walked to the building together, she giggled, "A-chan's so mature ta buy orders for his friends, eh?"

"I told you, don't call me A-chan," he said, narrowing her eyes down to her.

She giggled more, "If that's what ya wish, then I'll only call ya 'A-chan' when I'm getting angry with ya, kay?"

He nodded, "Fine. I don't think you'll ever get mad at me though. We probably won't see each other after this."

"Not unless I get ya's number," she hinted with a smirk. Being the first to open the door herself, she blinked when his arm over her head held the door wide opened for her. She giggled softly and entered into the building.

Murasakibara went in after her. And he sounded like he was whining, "You want my number? Why?" And then the door closed behind them.

Kise made a happy expression when Murasakibara was chatting with Fukui so naturally. '_The sparks are flying for Murasakibara-cchi_!' he grinned happily.

"Midorima-san, I want to eat your orange," Moto leaned to the left to him.

"No," he told her.

She giggled, "Aw, you're cute when you refuse!" He pushed up his glasses and said nothing.

"Hey, Kise," Sakai smiled to him. He blinked at her and she said, "I checked out the magazines for the last few days. I saw you in one of them and I think you're totally hot!"

He chuckled, "Thank you."

Aomine looked at everyone at the table. "So," he looked to Himuro to his left. "It's surprising to see you here… Why are you _really_ here?"

"To witness all of you getting a girlfriend," he smiled a bit secretively.

"Oh, so you aren't here for the mixer?" Aomine asked him, giving him a weird look. "You didn't come with the slightest objective of getting a girl yourself?"

Himuro blinked, "…Not really. No."

Daydreaming off, Koizumi begun to realize Moto was talking to Midoroma, Kise with Sakai, and Aomine with Himuro. She glared at her hands on her lap and felt disappointed in herself. '_As usual… I can't even bring myself to start up a conversation_,' Koizumi frowned. She wanted to leave and go back home. She wanted to be alone now.

Moto suddenly wrapped her arm around Koizumi's shoulders, laughing cheerfully. "If you want, you can get together with Koizumi-chan, Midorima-san!" Moto encouraged.

"I…" Midorima looked at them seriously.

Expressionlessly, Koizumi said, "Moto, stop it…"

Moto pulled away from Koizumi to stand up. "Here, give that orange to her right now as a token of love," she went next to him to grab for his orange.

"H-Hey," Midorima had a small sweat on his face. Her hand missed his orange when he pulled his left arm away. "I can't give this to anyone. It's my lucky charm of the day." She laughed and her chest pushed against his arm. With a slight blush, he uttered, "Stop this instant!"

Aomine and Himuro stared at them blankly. Kise and Sakai looked over when they heard the ruckus. And Koizumi watched as Moto missed her footing, falling into Midorima's arms. He almost fell out of his seat due to her pushing around and she giggled in his face. He closed his eyes to hide his embarrassment of their closeness, slightly pushing her away.

"Sorry about that," Moto stood up straight, laughing lightly. She was surprised how he did not fall over because she sort of did it on purpose. He must be very stronger than he looked. "I didn't think your lucky charm meant so much for you."

"Uh… well…" he pushed up his glasses as she went back to her seat.

"Geez, sorry, Koizumi-chan," Moto hugged her, hanging from Koizumi's neck. "It seems Midorima-san will never trade anything in his hand for you."

Koizumi flatly stared into space, "I don't care…"

Clearing his throat, Midorima was quiet again. Kise smiled and rubbed his chin as Sakai giggled at Kise's face. '_The progress is going good so far_,' Kise thought to himself. Now there was only Aomine. Kise glanced to Koizumi and noticed she seemed no longer interested in the mixer. '_Aw, man_,' Kise sighed. He needed something to happen to Aomine. Anything!

* * *

**Author's note**: If you don't know what was I trying to do here on this chapter, I was messing around with possible pairings. When I first wrote this chapter, I wasn't sure who I want which guy to be with which girl. Because I started this fanfic being completely clueless. That was how Akashi x Tomimura happened because I didn't decide on the couples, but that does not mean I will go with Akashi x Tomimura. The future is a blur to me right now. Anything can happen.

You'll see in the next couple of chapters that I will still be trying to see who looks better with who. Or maybe no one at all.

Thanks for reading!


	15. Truth or Dare?

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 15 was uploaded on November 21, 2013

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 15: Truth or Dare?**

A couple knocks were on the door. Tomimura groaned, knowing it was her friends who promised to drop by and take care of her. But making her getting up was hard enough already so she wondered why she even agreed to them in the first place. Moving her legs off the couch, she slowly stood up when the knock on the door was heard again. Tomimura was wearing a blue long sleeves and dark blue pants.

"Coming…" Tomimura rubbed her throbbing head with her left hand. There was a fever relief pad on her forehead and it reeked of medicine, but it smelled pleasant for her. She walked out of the living room while touching the wall and soon reached the doorknob.

When she opened it, her eyes saw Seki and Yamauchi. And behind the girls was Akashi. "Hello," Seki emotionlessly pushed her glasses up.

Yamauchi smiled nervously, "And we brought Akashi-kun with us… which I didn't know about… Sorry." In her hands, she appeared to be carrying cans of foods in a grocery plastic bag.

Tomimura did not think twice and begun to move her hand. Before she could shut her door closed, Akashi's long arm went between the two girls' heads, swiftly holding the door in its place with his palm. Now Tomimura could barely move it closed and Seki glanced to Yamauchi blankly. Unhappy, Tomimura stared at Akashi. He seemed really profound and he did not smile as a greeting. Tomimura frowned and leaned against the door rather hopelessly.

"Welcome… everyone," Tomimura mumbled tiredly. Yamauchi giggled uneasily at the same time as Seki closed her eyes with a soft chuckle. And Akashi's eyes shined with easy victory.

Meanwhile…

After returning from the inside of the pizza restaurant, Murasakibara and Fukui were each holding a large size pizza. Murasakibara had a pizza with pineapples, sausages, green peppers, and ham. The one Fukui was holding had white meat chicken, garlic sparkles, and sausages. The two of them put the pizzas on the table before seating.

"Take whatever you guys like," Murasakibara said, grabbing a slice first.

"Truth or Dare?" Kise grinned. Apparently they were talking about a little game to play while they were waiting for food.

Fukui blinked at him, "Huh?" She just got in her seat and looked over to her friends.

"Sounds fun!" Moto cheered, taking a slice from Fukui's side.

"I'm game enough," Aomine shrugged.

Himuro nodded, "Count me in then."

Midorima could only sigh at all of them. Koizumi said nothing and was only planning to go with the flow.

Kise looked around, "Since Murasakibara-cchi and Fukui-san went through the trouble of paying for us, why don't you two decide who should do the asking first?"

"One thing though," Moto smiled as she blinked twice. "What are the rules? How should we do this, just so no one complains later?"

"Whatever you girls say, man," Aomine told her.

With a smile, Sakai snapped her fingers, "Okay, first of all, ask a question. If that person refuses to tell us, then they are force to do the dare no matter what. Sounds reasonable? It'll be quick and easy." Himuro and Kise nodded. "Oh, but no same question can be repeated to the same person, but you can ask the same question to someone else. And the dares all must be different too!"

"Alright," Murasakibara nodded, licking his the sauce on his fingers. "If that's all of the rules, then let me go first." No one objected and they started to grab their first choice of pizza slices. Murasakibara looked to Fukui first and she noticed him staring. "I'll ask you, Fukui-san," he nodded.

She smiled, "Go ahead. I'll take on anything ya have."

Murasakibara blinked and asked, "Out of everyone here, who do you think is more handsome?"

"That's so easy!" Moto exclaimed, giggling. "I would have answered that without a single thought."

The others looked at Moto for a second and Fukui played with her cheese that was slowly dripping from her pizza. "Hmm," she grinned to herself. Her eyes went over to Himuro and he looked back at her. "I have ta say it's Himuro-tan, without a doubt."

"Ehhh," Murasakibara complained. "Then give me back my phone number." They had exchanged numbers when they were waiting for their orders.

She giggled, "It doesn't work like dat, Murasakibara-tan."

"That question was too easy," Sakai pouted. She looked at Fukui with a smirk, "Make sure to ask something more embarrassing, Fuku-chan!"

"Haha, I'll try," Fukui nodded. She looked around. The only one who did not make eye contact was Koizumi. Fukui thought it might be funnier to ask the boys, so she chose Aomine. "Ya, Aomine-tan… if ya like big boobs, have ya ever grab 'em before?" she questioned.

"I wish," he snickered.

"Aw, too easy," Fukui laughed at herself and Sakai slapped her own face.

Aomine had a smirk and looked over to Sakai. "Since you wanted embarrassing questions…" he said and the blonde blinked at him. "Why is your worst fear your fear?"

Sakai slowly looked away and looked like she was at loss of words. As honest as she was, she could not answer it. "Uh… I'll take the dare," she quietly said, scratching her face.

"Oh," Aomine blinked. He did not think she would actually do it. Did he hit the spot? After those thoughts, he patted on his lap, "Then I dare you to sit on my lap for the rest of the game." She instantly pouted and stayed where she was for a good moment. Before anyone called her name, she got up willingly and walked passed behind Murasakibara and Himuro. Aomine moved back on his chair and she sat on his lap while still making a pouting face. "…I can live with this every day," Aomine thought out loud, making a small smirk. She was a very light person too.

"Okay, my turn," Sakai looked around, wondering who she wanted to pick. Curiously looked at Koizumi, she smiled. "I always wanted to ask you this, Koi-chan…" And while Koizumi looked up, preparing for the worst, Sakai inquired, "In the past, you said you hated boys… why was that?"

Koizumi slightly looked uncomfortable. "First of all," she started to explain. But then no words came out and she felt her face warming up. Having the boys staring at her, she hated how Sakai asked a very personal question. "…I just didn't trust them… that's all…" she managed to say.

"Oh, okay then," Sakai smiled, swinging her legs.

"Hey, stop that," Aomine told her.

Sakai grinned at him, "The dare was to sit, but you didn't say to sit perfectly still." Aomine gave her a disapproving look and wrapped around her with one arm while his right foot leaned on the table. Then he tilted the chair back a bit with his foot, rocking back and forth. Her heart jumped and she feared she would fall. "Wait, don't!" she nervously pleaded.

"You're still sitting in my lap," he looked away with boredom. "This isn't breaking my dare, right?"

"But you're too close to me!" she told him timidly. His strong arm locked her in place and he continued to rock back and forth.

"And you feel nice," he still looking rather bored to death.

She hissed, "Pervert! Stop it!"

"Himuro," Koizumi looked at him, ignoring the two who were still at it. He returned a look and she asked, "Out of the girls here, whom would you pick if you were given a chance?"

Moto was now all ears and Himuro blinked. He looked around a bit and rubbed the back of his neck. Feeling it would be rude to pick one, he said, "Dare."

"Oh," Koizumi dryly stared at him. She had not thought of one yet. "…I dare you… to…" Her eyes glued to Sakai, who was still being rocked back and forth by Aomine. "I dare you to kiss Sakai's lips right now."

Sakai gasped in terror, "Koi-chan?!" But Kise was there. She did not want him to see her like this!

Himuro slowly looked at the blond haired girl and she was shaking her head 'no' over and over. Aomine stopped and his chair landed safely back on the ground. "Well, I'll hold her still for you," Aomine shrugged. A dare was a dare. There was nothing they could do to stop the kiss from happening.

"Do it, do it," Murasakibara chanted sarcastically. Moto clapped her hands along with his chant and she could not stop grinning.

With a sigh, Himuro stood up and looked apologetic. "Excuse me for this," he said, looking at Sakai.

She pouted. When he stepped forward, she began kicking in the air at him since she was facing at him. "No, no!" she cried, struggling in Aomine's one arm.

Himuro backed away with a chuckle and he could almost see her panties. Aomine frowned, grabbing her legs to keep her still. She started to scream and Kise waved at the other people nearby to assure them everything was just fine. Fukui could not bear to look, but she was giggling at Sakai's cry of help. Murasakibara started to eat his second slice of pizza while Midorima struggled to look away when Himuro lowered his head. Koizumi simply ate her slice of pizza in peace.

When Himuro pressed his lips to Sakai's, she quiet down and whined. "Okay… go away," she wanted to kick him.

"Sorry," Himuro nodded to her once and returned to his seat.

Sakai was sad and glanced to Kise, who did not seem affected by the kiss. '_He doesn't care, does he_?' she asked herself in her mind, sighing. '_Note to self, never get on the bad side with Koi-chan again_.'

Kise noticed Sakai's gaze and smiled a little to her. She did smiled back and she looked away with depressed look. '…_Opps_,' he thought, smiling to himself. She must really like him. He knew about it, but he thought she would slowly drift away because he was only being nice to her.

"Well now," Himuro glanced to the others. "…Perhaps I should pick the ones who had not gone yet."

Fukui chuckled, "Good idea." There still was Midorima, Moto, and Kise.

"Then I'll ask Midorima," Himuro smiled over to him. The glasses guy was already prepared and stared right back at the black haired guy. "My question is… if I dared you to kiss one of the girls here with your own free will, who will you choose?"

Moto snorted when Midorima seemed stumped. It was such an unfair question. And for all he knew, Himuro might dare him to kiss one of the girls with his own free will. So he must answer! He pushed up his glasses and his hand was slightly shaking. "Um… it'll have to be…" he mumbled.

"Wow, he's goin' ta answer?" Fukui smirked.

"Say it, Midorima-cchi!" Kise waved happily.

Now Sakai laughed, "That is a good question, Muro-kun!" She had already completely forgot about how Himuro was dared to kiss her.

"K… Koi…zu…mi," Midorima grumbled as he lowered his head. Everyone stared blankly and Koizumi pretended not to hear it. Midorima simply chose her since the other girls were too hyper for him. Koizumi looked the type to respect the others. "Now, Kise," Midorima quickly recovered, glaring at Kise.

"You don't have to look so mad," Kise chuckled, smiling uneasily. "It was Himuro's question…"

"Answer me this," Midorima pushed up his glasses. "Since you have been at both mixers, and complaining about us having girlfriends… are you going to have one of these girls be your girlfriend?"

Kise did not expect the Number One Shooter to ask him such a thing. Not in a million years. Well, maybe. Kise was not sure what to think and he wondered what kind of expression he was having because everyone was staring at him. And waiting for his answer. He smiled with a snort, "If I can't, there are always other good girls out there."

"That did not satisfy my question," Midorima narrowed his eyes at them. "But whatever."

"…What do you mean you can't?" Sakai inquired.

Looking at her quickly, Kise cracked a smile, "I, uh…"

Sakai looked at him with confusion. His answer justified he was not interested in her, possibly. If he cannot find one, then there were always other girls out there. But she had been clinging onto him for a whole week now. And he still said something like that? She felt she made a fool of herself. She was hurt and tried not to tear up. "Kise-kun?" she wanted to hear him say it again.

"Kise-chin?" Murasakibara gave him a relaxed expression. "What's going on between the two of you?"

Kise held in his breathe and then softly sighed to the ground. He did not want to say it in front of so many people. But Sakai wanted him to answer. What should he do? Could someone change to subject so he could talk to Sakai in private at another time? He waited a few more seconds that felt forever.

"Kise-tan," Fukui called with a smile. "It's yar turn to ask someone a question." Sakai looked at Fukui and saw Fukui gestured with her hand. "We're here ta get ta know each other. Leave de personal stuff another time, kay?"

Sakai just nodded and Kise looked up a little. '_Sorry, Sakai-chan_,' he thought while his hands started to feel a bit sweaty.

"Oh, wow, fancy meeting everyone here." Aomine was the first to recognize the voice. Imayoshi grinned as he walked from behind Midorima and snickered. "What's this?" Imayoshi continued with a smirk. His eyes were mostly on Aomine and Sakai. "Aomine and everyone are getting together with girls?"

All of the girls were quiet, staring at Imayoshi and wondering how he got here. Aomine looked at Imayoshi indifferently, "Good to see you too, Senpai. How are your studies at the university?"

Before Imayoshi could answer, he noticed something different about Sakai. Even though she was sitting on Aomine's lap and her back facing him, he had known her to always smile and greet him happily. Even if she pretended to just have met him too. "It's going fine," Imayoshi replied, grabbing a seat from another table. He sat between Aomine and Midorima with a smile. "So, what are you guys doing? Speed dating?"

"A mixer," Kise replied with a chuckle.

"Seriously?" Imayoshi looked at everyone. "So, how is it going so far?"

Fukui grinned, "We're in de middle of Truth or Dare right now, mister."

"I'm Imayoshi Shoichi," he pretended to know her for the first time. Fukui chuckled and seemed to be enjoying Imayoshi's unexpected presence. "Go on and continue. Don't mind me. I'll just watch." With a smile.

"Alright then," Moto giggled. She glanced over to Kise. "Go and ask someone new a question, Kise-san."

Just remembering, Kise nodded. "Right… then Moto-san," he smiled. "I have a question for you." She nodded and looked pumped. He smiled and asked, "What was the most embarrassing moment you had with your parents?" He hoped she would have one and just take a dare or something because he wanted dare her to hug Aomine.

Moto rubbed her chin, lifting up her head and closed her eyes. She had a pause and then laughed nervously. "I say the most embarrassing moment I had was when my mom walked in on me and my first boyfriend making out for the first time," she said truthfully. And then she looked at the others, who blink at her calmly. "Yeah, that's right! I have boyfriends before!" she smiled widely.

"Darn," Kise chuckled. She rather be honest than to do a dare.

"Mm, I'm getting bored," Moto complained, leaning forward on the table with her arms stretched on them. "I'm just going to ask Murasakibara-san a question and then let's do something else. Does that sound fine with all of you?"

"Sure," Aomine shrugged. "Sakai is starting to fell heavy."

The blonde pouted at him, "You're a man. No complaints!"

"I thought you might want the game to end soon," he told her, looking into her blue eyes. They reminded him of water for some reason.

Sakai giggled, "I'm glad you know that!" Imayoshi was leaning forward with his palm covering his mouth. He was clearly staring at Aomine and Sakai and then smiled away to himself.

Standing up, Moto raised a fist. "Murasakibara-san!"

"Yeah?" he looked at her, eating more chips now. He had been so quiet; he was enjoying his time just munching on things.

She rubbed her hands together and thought for a mere second. "If one of us girls right here asked you out a date someday, would you do it?" she questioned.

Murasakibara blinked and gave it a thought. "…It depends," he answered honestly. "I would have to get to know the girl first. Is that not obvious?"

"I said 'someday,' Murasakibara-san," she reminded.

"Oh," he realized. "Yeah, why not? Maybe I'll say yes."

"Well then!" Moto sat back down. "Now that we're done, what should we do now?"

Quickly, Sakai got off of Aomine and stood where she was because she did not feel like going back to sit next to Kise. It was then Murasakibara pointed to the pizzas. "If no one wants them, I'm going to have the rest," he told everyone. Koizumi took one and quietly ate to herself. Murasakibara blinked, "…Anyone else? I'm going to take the rest. I'm serious."

Laughing to the side, Moto told him, "Geez, don't be such a pig, Murasakibara-san."

He ignored her and grabbed another one anyway. Everyone must have had two slices at the very least and there were just one left now. Murasakibara ate his quietly, staring at Koizumi. She was eating rather fast and her other free hand slowly reached for the last piece. It was then Murasakibara slapped his hand on the table, his fingertips lying on the last pizza. "I call it," Murasakibara told her. Koizumi's own fingertips almost touched the pizza and she gave the purple haired guy a dry stare. Retreating her hand, she said nothing. "Yay," Murasakibara licked his lips.

Koizumi frowned at him and he childishly smirked at her. "…You're not very gentlemanly, are you?" she questioned.

"The game of Truth or Dare is already over," he told her, finishing his pizza and now taking the very last one.

Fukui giggled, "Aw, but ya can still answer her anyway, silly, Murasakibara-tan."

"Sorry about his behavior," Himuro chuckled to the girls. He kind of meant it to Koizumi since she looked like she really wanted to eat a little more. "If some of you are still hungry, I'll go back another one."

"Nah, it's fine," Moto told him. She noticed Himuro's eyes on Koizumi and she giggled. Moto used her hands and made Koizumi's head nod. "Even Koizumi-chan agrees!" Himuro chuckled and Koizumi flattened her eyes without a word.

"Yeah, no need to buy more," Aomine frowned to Himuro. "Good thing Kagami isn't here. He would eat nonstop."

Kise laughed, "I know, right?"

"A good thing indeed," Midorima said with his eyes closed. He would hate it if Kagami made such a scene.

Giggling, Fukui happily said, "I would like ta meet tis Kagami-tan someday! He sounds interesting!"

Sakai quietly looked at everyone and noticed they were getting along perfectly. Aside from Koizumi and Murasakibara almost fighting over the food though. Since Sakai was supposed to be in Tomimura's place, she wanted to take her position seriously. With a glance to Imayoshi, he was smiling to her. She grinned back and still could not believe he was here in Tokyo with them. '_I wonder what he's up to_,' Sakai thought to herself.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	16. Do You Like Me?

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 16 was uploaded on November 21, 2013 (...which was about ten hours after I posted Chapter 15...)

***To loliconkawaii**: I updated early because I feel your question was important, so I'll reply here for everyone to see where I am going with this fanfic. For the start of the story, I wanted to build up relationships due to OCs all over the place. I wanted the readers to get a bit of the feels of the girls first before I jump into any conflicts. (I think something like that happens in Chapter 18.) I know it's important to raise the reader's mood and curiosity, which explains the lack of reviews as of late. I got caught up building the relationship between Akashi and Tomimura… though I feel there is some meaning as he tries to figure something about the girls now (in the future chapters). And yes, I was saving the conflicts for later, which should happen after Chapter 18 or so.

Thank you for coming out and telling me this. If anyone does get bored later on or even now, I would totally understand why and hopefully it won't discourage me to keep on writing. I'm planning to finish this, seriously. Whether I'm slow or fast with updating. The next one will be slow because this one was too early for me.

And a WARNING, which I have decided ever since Chapter 8. I did not want to spoil it, but I really think I should tell this to everyone before I get flames. There will be OC deaths. There. I said it. If anyone does not like anyone dying, well, I did put Crime in the Possible Genres. But now I have warned you and if you wish to stop reading, I understand. Sorry for dragging you all the way to this chapter, but I really appreciate your interest!

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 16: Do You Like Me?**

In Tomimura's kitchen, Yamauchi had just opened the can of food. It was Cream of Chicken. The stove was turned on and Yamauchi set the saucepan over it, ready to cook. And then Seki called, "Tomimura, you are out of toilet paper?"

"…I think so," Tomimura replied. She was lying on her right side on the couch while Akashi was sitting on the ground, looking at her across the coffee table. "Sorry about that, Seki."

While Seki walked into the living room, she sighed. "…Yamauchi, let's go and buy some," she said as she pushed up her glasses.

From the kitchen, Yamauchi asked, "But I already put in the Cream of Chicken in."

"Turn the stove off, toilet paper comes first," Seki said. Meanwhile Yamauchi was doing some adjustments in the kitchen, Seki looked at Akashi when he was staring back at her. "You keep watch here. We'll be back."

'_Are you kidding me_?' Tomimura wanted to say, but rather save her breathe.

"Fine by me," Akashi nodded.

'_Ah, great_,' Tomimura frowned.

Seki walked to the back of the couch and leaned forward to see Tomimura. Patting on the sick girl's shoulder, Seki notified, "You can pay me back for the toilet paper on another day." Tomimura nodded and Yamauchi walked into the room, drying her hands on her pants. "Let's go, Yamauchi."

Akashi watched the two girls take their leave, but then Tomimura called, "Wait, take my house key with you."

"What?" Seki looked into the living room. She saw the key was just hanging on the wall in front of her when she did so. "Why?"

"So you can take Akashi with you," Tomimura mumbled with her eyes closed shut. She really did not want to be left alone with him under her roof. "That way, no one will have to get up and get the door."

Seki chuckled softly and took the key. "Well, I'm not going to make him," Seki said, walking off. "Besides, what if you need a cup of water? Akashi will prove to be useful to you before you know it."

Tomimura moaned and hear the door open. '_Damn you, Seki_,' she thought bitterly.

"See you guys soon," Yamauchi smiled with a wave. She rushed out and closed the door. The key locked the door and the footsteps soon left.

There was complete silence and Tomimura could only herself breathing. Her head was beating and her body ached all over. "…Akashi," she frowned.

"A cup of water?" he inquired. Seemed like she already wanted him to do something.

She groaned, "No… Can you go and turn on my CD Player in the kitchen?"

His head turned to the kitchen. "…Yeah," he stood up. Making his way to the kitchen, he easily found the CD Player and touched it. As he turned it on, he walked off and a song was being played. There was the sound of ocean waves as an intro. The moment he went back to the living room, he decided to walked over Tomimura and sat down to lean his back on the couch.

Peeking at the side of his face, she inquired, "Why did you came here for?"

He smiled and did not look at her. "Can't I come to see how you're doing?" he asked. The song was in Chinese, he realized. Something gave him the feeling it was Sakai's song, since she was into Chinese food and Chinese song. "What kind of CD is playing?"

Tomimura opened her eyes wider and relaxed them at the same time. "Hmm," she blinked and he glanced to her. She was comfortable under her blanket and she replied, "It's a mix CD… of me and my friends' favorite songs."

"The song playing is Sakai's favorite then," he thought out loud. And he knew he was right as she just nodded. "Is it just me, or does Sakai often turn up in our conversations?" Tomimura shrugged. "Tell me something… Why do you keep talking about Sakai?"

Her head was still hurting, so she took a moment to choose her words. "I guess I was offended," she told him. "Because I love her so much, for the kind of person she is."

"And you didn't like it when I talked bad about her," he concluded. It was a normal reaction. Even he would defend his friends and teammates.

Tomimura nodded and breathed softly. Not wanting to get into his rudeness about Sakai, she listened to the music soft rap that came on next. "You want to hear something about Sakai?" she inquired first.

He looked away. "I don't care," he replied.

"Once, Sakai said she is afraid of the ocean…" Tomimura begun saying. And Akashi was silent. "But one time when my friends and I were on a summer vacation together… I caught sight of Sakai gazing at the ocean… I thought she looked very beautiful when she stared out to the horizon. The sunrays made her hair look golden. Those blue eyes of hers seemed as distant as the vast ocean… It was like she was the ocean herself. People say there are still mysteries in the ocean… And I get the same feeling that Sakai's eyes were filled with mysterious too."

"…What about it?" he inquired.

Tomimura smiled, "How could she fear the ocean when she stares at it like that? She's so strange… and mysterious… I look up to her for other reasons too." Closing her eyes, she added, "That's why I wanted you to get to know her than to look down on her."

He was not sure about that. Even with Tomimura's insights on Sakai, he had his doubts. While he said nothing, she fell silent. After a moment, he heard a soft snore so he turned his head. Tomimura was sleeping now and Akashi stared at her face. For a whole week, he had felt he forgotten how she looked like. So he wanted to look at her for a while to memorize her face.

Just minutes later, he begun to hear mumbles and Akashi blinked at Tomimura. Her eyebrows narrowed and twitched. She seemed scared and slightly turned her head down to the couch. Her left hand came out of the blanket and almost fell off the edge of the couch. Akashi studied her carefully and she started to wheeze softly. Staring at her left hand that was nearly falling off the couch, he slowly reached out and set his hand on hers. Gently gripping her hand, she suddenly stopped talking her in sleep. And then her eyes opened, her eyelashes fluttering. While he was staring at her quietly, she gazed at him and looked like she was trying to remember where she was.

"…Bad dream?" he inquired softly.

Closing her eyes, Tomimura broke off their eye contact with a sigh. "…You could have woke me up earlier," she told him, steadying her breathing. Her eyes felt watery and she could not stop thinking about her short, but memorable dream. Akashi said nothing and she opened her eyes and stared at his hand that held her on the couch. He still did not move his hand away when she was aware of it.

Akashi saw a small tear filled up on her left eye. When she tried to get her hand free from his grip, her right one was under blanket at the moment and it was easier to use her left hand, his hand that was on hers moved first. He touched her face and his thumb wiped away the little tear. She looked at him with her curious eyes and her face started to turn red. He was not sure if it was her fever, or if she was blushing, but he knew her heart was racing.

His hand felt a bit cool, but she did not bother to tell him to remove his hand from cupping her cheek. Simply closing her eyes to rest them, she kept quiet. Akashi then took the same hand and brushed her hair away from her ear and stroked it. Even her ear turned red. "Hey, Tomimura."

Too tired to open her eyes, she asked, "Yeah…?"

"Do you like me?" he asked quite boldly.

She frowned and still did not open her eyes. "My skin is just sensitive to a guy's touch," she told him instead of answering his ridiculous question directly. "Nothing more."

He smiled and withdrew his hand. "…I see," he only said. She was so defenseless lying down like that. As much as he wanted to dared himself to try something more, he held himself back and hoped she would feel better soon.

'_He's only doing his experiment_,' Tomimura told herself, her chest aching. It was nothing more than a game to him. '_Don't fall for him_…'

Time passed by and Tomimura was asleep again. Akashi started to wonder where the girls were because it had been over thirty minutes. His eyes looked over to the kitchen and he got up. Heading into the kitchen, a Japanese pop song was on. Akashi walked over to the stove and turned it on to make the Cream of Chicken, which was Seki's idea to buy it for Tomimura. Also claiming that the Cream of Chicken was Tomimura's favorite food.

Akashi slightly smiled and waited for the stove to heat the saucepan up. '_So a simple touch does really work_,' he thought to himself, recalling his little research.

Her face was so warm, even if she was only having a fever. He stared at his hand that had touched her soft face, tear, and hair. It was a decent sensation. He honestly wanted more. And the way she looked at him, he had burned it into his memories. He remembered her blue-violet eyes that almost accepted him. Had she developed any feelings for him yet?

However, he had not grasped a certain feeling. He coolly asked himself, '_How do I know when I fall in love with Tomimura_?'

The moment he looked at his hand again, he started to realize something unusual. Tomimura's hand. The one he held. He grunted and tried to think harder. Nothing came to mind though. Nothing. Perhaps he did not understand what might have happened. Whatever it was, her hand experienced more or less of a forbidden act. A secret she was hiding, as well as her friends. He knew there was a thing going on. And he would find out sooner or later.

* * *

**Author's note**: Oh, this chapter was pretty short. …Well, I guess it's fine because I updated this early, right? 8D

Thanks for reading!


	17. Now, Trade Numbers!

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 17 was uploaded on November 27, 2013

***To Everyone**: Happy early Thanksgiving! I don't really celebrate on this holiday… but I love eating turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, and pumpkin pie!

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 17: Now, Trade Numbers!**

Within the first minute of tying roller skates on, Koizumi looked up in the middle of tying when Fukui declared something. Everyone else had their roller skates on already and they were about to enter the rink. "Ohhhkay, ta make this mixer worth while…" Fukui smiled at everyone. "A girl must at least partner up with a boy. Kay?"

Everybody thought either Moto or Sakai would be the first to pick, however they both were quiet. The boys glanced to the girls and then they realized Koizumi was still tying her roller stakes. "Well, if Sakai-chan isn't calling dips," Moto smiled, rolling towards Kise. She took his arm and giggled, "I'll mix it up and partner up with you, Kise-san."

He smiled with a nod, "Okay." His eyes slowly looked over to Sakai, who had dragged Imayoshi along with her and they both went off first. '_She must be mad at me_,' Kise thought and smiled awkwardly.

Murasakibara gestured to Himuro, "Let's go together, Muro-chin."

Fukui sighed as Murasakibara and Himuro both looked at her. "Murasakibara-tan, please pick someone who ya at least didn't come ta de mixer with," she put her hands on her hips. "Be diverse, will ya?"

"…Can I wait to see which girls prefer to stick with who?" Murasakibara gave her a tired look.

While Kise and Moto had taken off, Fukui looked over to Koizumi who had just finished tying her laces. "Koizumi-tan, who do ya want ta be with?" Fukui grinned. Koizumi shrugged and wobbled to Fukui's side. She almost fell and Fukui helped her balance. "Eh, I forgot ya didn't know how ta stake! Why didn't ya remind us sooner?"

"It's fine," Koizumi mumbled, keeping her eyes on the ground. At least her legs were not shaking. She just could not balance herself very well. "I'll get my footing as soon as I get used to it."

"Mm, then…" Fukui smiled over to the green haired glasses guy. "Midorima-tan, I'll trust ya to take care of her for me… since ya preferred Koizumi-tan earlier, hm?" While Midorima said nothing, she then thought out loud, "Wait, I rather mix it up… so…" With a smile, Fukui went ahead and turned Koizumi around and pushed her to Himuro.

"Whoa!" Koizumi was kicking behind her and waving her arms. Seeing Himuro was opening his arms to catch her, she grabbed his helping aid and frowned to herself.

Fukui chuckled and rolled in front of Midorima. "Ya can be with me, Midorima-tan."

"…Fine," Midorima nodded without refusing.

Murasakibara blinked, "Then it's me and Mine-chin." And as Fukui set off with Midorima, Murasakibara waved to Aomine. "You ready to play with me, Mine-chin?"

Emitting a long sigh, Aomine shrugged, "Sure… maybe just for a little bit."

Koizumi was still trying to stay up and heard the rest of them leaving into the rink. She blushed in shame and did not look at Himuro in the eyes. "Sorry," she murmured.

He smiled and said, "It's fine. Take your time." Hands moved down her arms and he took her hands. While rolled backwards a little, still holding onto her, she blinked at him. "Does this help you better?"

She uttered embarrassingly, "Please… not in this position." Seeing him right in front of her made her more timid than before. When she brought her eyes to him, he was smiling gently and she gagged. "Please, don't smile like that either." He chuckled and she blushed more in frustration.

Imayoshi and Sakai stayed together and had just passed Koizumi and Himuro, who both had not enter the rink yet. Sakai giggled and glanced to Imayoshi, "Funny to see you here, Imayoshi… I didn't think you knew these guys. Let alone you're Ao-kun's senpai."

With a thin smile, Imayoshi said, "From before, I thought it was funny that you girls would be hanging out with Aomine's friends too… A small world it is."

With a pause, she inquired, "Do they know about you working with us?"

"Nope," Imayoshi smirked at her. They both turned around the rink and stopped at the sidelines. "They think I'm attending Tokyo U."

Sakai gave him a concerned look. "You know… you'll get into trouble if you continued to be with us," she told him. They had a conversation like this a few times already. But he still insisted no matter what.

"I clearly know that," he smiled. When she let out a frowning sigh, he had a short quiet laughter. "Remember when we first met?" She nodded and folded her arms to her chest. "My decision was already made that day. I want all of you girls to be safe… even if I'm only on your team. After all, it's a sick game you girls are playing."

She snickered and looked away. Noticing familiar backs of two people, Kise and Moto, they were really close to each other and had just gone around pass her and Imayoshi. Sakai quickly looked away and gave Imayoshi a soft look. "It's not that sick," she smiled. Imayoshi slightly lifted his eyes to meet her gaze that turned a little dark. "But I do agree with you, Imayoshi."

The next couple that passed the two of them was Fukui and Midorima. Slightly looking over to them, Midorima noticed Imayoshi looked like he knew Sakai. "…Fukui," he said, his eyes now turned to her.

"Yeah?" she smiled up at him.

Her movements were graceful and he had a short moment of silence. "Mind if I ask something?" he pushed up his glasses. While she nodded, he inquired, "What is your zodiac sign?"

Fukui grinned with a chuckle, "I'm a Virgo. Why?"

'_Strange_,' he looked away with a calm look. Therefore, their signs were compatible with each other. He did not think she was a Virgo and for the reason was because she kept her voice rather high-pitched and did not talk normally. He gripped on the orange in his hand and was still in deep thought.

"Oh," Fukui smiled. When she gigged, Midorima glanced to her. "I think I know why you're asking that question. You like horoscopes, don't you?"

"I believe in fate," he told her. It caused her to giggle more and he did not respond to it. "I'm a Cancer… It is said both Cancer and Virgo make a strong relationship and it gets better over the passing years."

Fukui blushed happily, looking at him directly. "Aw, is Midorima-tan proposing ta me?" she asked. He looked away quickly as well as pushing up his glasses. "What a cutie, ya are! But just so ya know, I'm not a virgin." He almost choked on his saliva and remained composed. Laughing like a silly girl, her eyes averted away and she played with her hair. "Therefore, think carefully. Most guys only like pure girls, right? Just like Koizumi-tan and the others."

'_How could she admit something as that so soon_?' Midorima thought uncomfortably. They only had begun to know each other too. While he was still thinking about her confessing that she was not a virgin, she was chatting away.

"Hey, are ya listenin', Midorima-tan?" Fukui grinned, skating closer to him.

Now entering the rink, Himuro watched Koizumi handle by herself. She frowned and gave him a dead look. "Um, why don't you go off first?" Koizumi suggested. She did not wish to ruin his time like this.

He smiled again, "Not without you. Fukui will flip if I leave you behind, right?"

Koizumi blinked, "You know her very well already." She did not intend to get him in trouble either, so she kept quiet as she held the edge of the wall. "This is going to be a long day," she mumbled to herself.

Back to Kise and Moto, he was asking her, "What do you think of Sakai?"

Moto smiled right away and tilted her head. She looked like she was happily married. "I love her a lot," she giggled. Looking at him, she added, "She saved my life before. So I also care for her too. Well, I love everyone just as much!"

"Saved your life?" Kise blinked. "Like what?"

She snickered and brushed his question off. "Sakai-chan is so fun to tease too," she went off to say. "Because when she gets scary, I really don't like it… She tries not to do that either and she always try to remain positive. Which is why I tease her so she can remember her resolve."

"…Ah," Kise blinked. "But wouldn't teasing make her scary either way?" In another word: jealousy. That kind of scary.

"Oh, you don't know what I mean," Moto skated backwards in front of him. Kise was worried to run into her, but he forgot she was also tall so she was keeping up her face perfectly with him. "But if you're asking to try to get to know her better… good luck, Kise-san. I say you should talk to her yourself to get the feel of it."

He smiled at her and she turned around again to skate beside him. "I was just asking," he said truthfully.

Moto saw Aomine skating by himself and she snickered at the sight. He seemed deadly bored. "Kise-san, I'm going to see if Aomine-san wants any company," she winked to the blonde as she skated away from him.

"Alright," Kise smiled in encouragement.

Aomine was so weary he was skating very slowly. When he realized Moto had just moved beside him, he blinked at her. "What?" he asked her.

"Hello!" she giggled. Then she noticed he was staring at her chest and she skated behind him to avoid it. He was going rather slowly, so she matched her pace with him. "Lonely?" she beamed.

He did not look to glance back at her and continued on his merry way. "I'm fine," he replied tiredly.

Moto giggled and showed up on his other side. "But you look so bored," she playfully waved her hand in his face. His eyes did not move and she smiled wider. "Let's race then."

"Huh," he closed his eyes, uninterested. "Not with a girl, no."

Like a child's play, Moto skated around him twice and he frowned. "Come on," she brightly smiled. "Whoever goes around five times, touching that wall right over there first as the goal…" she pointed the wall in front of them. "…He or she will get whatever they like. At least three favors. No complaints."

Aomine was now interested. "Anything?" he smirked.

Nodding, she patted her on right boob. "You can even touch these babies," she chuckled. Before he looked more motivated, she added, "But first, name your rewards so I can at least approve. I don't want you to grope me for an hour."

He snorted, "Well…"

Murasakibara eventually caught up with Kise and he looked around. "Where did Moto go?" Murasakibara asked, putting a hand to hover over his eyes as he scanned the area.

"She went with—" Kise started to say, but then stopped as soon as someone just skated by quickly. Kise blinked and saw Aomine was skating as if his life was on the line. "Aomine-cchi?!"

Behind Aomine was Moto. She was holding onto his skirt and laughed. "You're so fast!" she smiled with excitement. He had already gone one round and she was still holding onto his shirt. "I'm glad I grabbed for you before you set off! Haha!"

"Tsk," Aomine gave her a look. She was not letting go and her skates gave her the edge to stay at his pace. And no matter how rough he was going, he could not brush her off either. At the same time, he was slightly anxious if he might cause to get her injured. '_That'll be her problem to challenge me in the first place_,' he mentally told himself.

"What in the world?" Imayoshi watched them, still skating with Sakai.

Aomine and Moto went pass Fukui and Midorima as if they were never there. "Hey, dat's dangerous!" Fukui called, worried for their safety.

At the third round, Aomine begun to wonder if this would still count for Moto to win. Because she never mentioned how a person would win. Feeling like she may be thinking an easy way to be the victor, he was prepared to stop her at all costs.

All the while they were going at it, Koizumi stayed close to the wall and avoid getting hit and everyone else in the room were clearing the way for Aomine. A few other people slightly complained too. Moto was still laughing. Koizumi sighed, rubbing the back of her head, "Geez… What did Moto do now?"

Himuro stared at the speed Aomine was going and was a bit worried himself. "…Looks like a race," he said.

Koizumi blinked up at Himuro, "A what?"

Near the middle of the fifth round, Aomine planned to go at the same speed. He would simply touch the wall, the goal, and then slow down afterwards. That way, Moto will have no chance to touch the goal herself if he reached out first.

"MOTO-TAN!" Fukui exclaimed very angrily, surprising Midorima.

Now facing the goal, Moto fearlessly moved her right foot up to trip Aomine. He snapped his eyes wide opened and the two of them trembled forward. Moto actually had forced to leap a bit while he did the same. She blinked when her left leg pulled a muscle, but it was then Aomine grabbed her arm to keep somewhat balance. Grinning, she moved forward when her knee hit the ground. The two of them slide at the same time, but she managed to turn her body while sliding and scraping her left arm. Her back hit against the wall and then Aomine's feet flew and hit the wall from the other side.

"Moto-chan!" Sakai hurried off to her friend.

Thinking he had scraped his knees and elbows, Aomine sat up and grumbled a bit. Moto was just wearing a T-Shirt, so her forearm had a serious scrap on it. "Hey," Aomine slowly looked at her as he narrowed his eyes. "That was risky move you did."

Moto laughed in pain and winked at him. "I won though," she told him.

He knew she won because he caught a glimpse her back hitting the wall first. But this was not the time to smile or frown at. "You're hurt," he said, taking her arm.

"Ow!" she winced. Her bone ached and he quickly let her go. "Hahaha…" she cried with tears of pain, but was still smiling happily. "So now that I won, you owe me three favors!"

Sakai reached to them and held out her hand. "Moto-chan, that looks painful!" she said, her eye filled with worry. Moto shook her head and could not stop holding her injured arm. "Stop doing crazy things if it hurts!"

"Ya big, big dummy!" Fukui shouted from across the room.

While some workers were heading their way as well, Aomine moved and helped Moto on her feet. She groaned in pain and giggled at herself. "Aomine-san, how are you feeling?" Moto winced at him. "You must have gotten hurt too."

"I'll be fine," he told her, moving his arms around. "I can still play basketball like this."

Murasakibara and Kise skated to where Himuro and Koizumi were, watching the scene as the workers hurried to aid Moto and Aomine. "Mine-chin should not have done that," Murasakibara blinked as he leaned back to the wall.

"I know, right?" Kise sighed, rubbing his face.

Himuro looked at them, wondering if the mixer was going to end like this. "What time is it?" he inquired. He did not want anyone to miss the train back home.

"I think we should end it like this," Koizumi said, remembering the time a bit. She frowned at herself and looked at Himuro. "Sorry for today… you didn't get to skate with your friends." Before he was smiling and planning on saying something nice, Koizumi looked away instantly. "Time to tell others about leaving," she said quickly.

"Wait," Kise smiled, almost looking like he wanted to beg. Koizumi faced him and he said, "Just a little longer. There should still be time, right?"

Koizumi sighed again, "Sure. Fine."

While the rink was going back to normal, Kise and the others had gotten out of the rink and the building. While the group of boys was ahead, the girls were behind them to keep an eye on Moto. There was a large patch around Moto's right arm. "Ow… my back hurts a bit too," Moto whined.

Fukui was rubbing her back out of prying and knew Moto's back was also hurting. "Moto-tan, ya dupid, dummy," Fukui grabbed Moto's cheeks. "How dare ya do somethin' like dat! I hate it!"

"Ow…!" Moto tried to laugh. "Hehe! Sorry, sorry!"

"Why did ya have ta to such a dupid thing?!" Fukui frowned.

With a giggle, Moto leaned to Fukui playfully, "Ehhh, Fukui-chan, stop calling me 'dupid'. I know you're upset!"

"But seriously," Sakai gave the taller girl a dry face. "I saw you purposely stick out your foot. Was that fun? Your fall was so loud and everyone could hear it across the entire room!"

Koizumi nodded and Moto felt attacked by all of the girls. She laughed softly, "Because Aomine-san looked so bored throughout the mixer!" Aomine glanced back over to them upon hearing them clearly. "I just wanted to spice things a bit up! And you know what I got out of it? He owes me three favors now! Haha!"

It was then Fukui smacked the back of Moto's head with a displeased glare. "Please, promise me ya won't do dat again," she demanded, grabbing Moto's shirt.

"Yes, right away, ma'am!" Moto looked at her, smiling nervously.

With his hands in his pockets, Aomine sneered with his back arched forward. "Damn that woman," he said. "I told her my three favors if I won, but she never told me hers." That was what he got for getting too excited.

"Mine-chin, if you won, what were your rewards be like?" Murasakibara inquired, munching on his snacks again. When Aomine did not answer, Murasakibara decided to say, "I bet you wanted to sleep with her, right?"

"Of course not," Aomine frowned right at him.

Himuro chuckled, "Then I wonder what you had in mind." Knowing Aomine, everyone could probably guess the same thing.

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Midorima looked at Kise. "Is this all for today?" he asked.

Kise blinked, "What, you want to end the mixer that bad?"

"Well, it's about time for me to leave," Imayoshi waved, walking down the other way of the sidewalk. "I'll see you guys on another day."

"Bye, Imayoshi-san!" Moto joyfully said, waving her hand all the way up into the air. Imayoshi waved with a grin and turned to walk off by himself.

Midorima was still talking to Kise, "What else did you want us to do? We're running short on time here."

There was that train schedule Kise had to abide to. Finding it was reasonable to really end the second mixer, he smiled secretively. "Okay, fine," he nodded. "Just as long as you trade your numbers with someone." With a sudden happy smile, he added, "Let's all meet up all together sometime in summer too!"

Before Murasakibara dropped a 'what' expression, Sakai excitedly cheered, "Yeah! I can't wait!" She went to hug Fukui's arm and childishly swung her arm, "Fuku-chan, please, please, please?"

"Awww, I smell somethin' fishy," Fukui grinned and the two of them laughed at the same time.

"Then count me out," Koizumi declared first. She was having the bad feeling.

Sakai pouted to her, "Aw, but Koi-chan!" The blonde really want to see Koizumi play Spin the Bottle with them. "It's no fun without you!"

Midorima wondered what they were referring to and Aomine sighed at them lazily. "Hey," Aomine gave Kise a tired stare. "What are you planning to do when we do meet up again in summer?" Since it was after the Inter-High, there should be time for them to actually gather one more time. But really, Kise was asking too much from them.

"It's a secret," Kise winked and Aomine returned another frown. While chuckling, Kise turned to face Himuro, "You can come too. Just in case Murasakibara is too lonely on the train. Oh, but I don't know where we should spend the vacation at, so…"

Himuro nodded, "Sure. I would love to come along." Just as long Kise was not setting a trap or anything of the sort. Himuro glanced to Murasakibara, who had no comment and it would appeared he just finished the last of his snacks.

"Then we all agree?" Moto happily waved her hand. She would definitely go. All of the guys were gorgeous and so much fun, she wanted to spend more time with them. Just when Koizumi was going to remind everyone she did not want to go, Moto voiced loudly, "Then it's decided!"

"Now, trade numbers!" Kise encouraged, looking at the girls and boys back and forth.

Moto carefully used her hand to get her creamy peach colored phone from her pink bag. "Can I have everyone's?" she chuckled, grinning happily. "Just for reference?"

"You just can't get enough, can't you?" Midorima sighed at her.

She just giggled and walked up closer to them while Himuro was the first to take out his phone. And at the same time as the other guys took their phones out, Fukui took her neon green cell phone out from her orange bag with a smile. "I wanna have everyone else's too!" she said, skipping toward them.

Koizumi flattened her eyes and slowly looked away. She was not planning to trade numbers with anyone.

Collecting numbers, Moto laughed at Midorima's cold expression, then she traded numbers with Murasakibara, who did not care about it too much, and Aomine did not bother to get her number in return. "Aw, here, take mine," Moto nudged him with her shoulder.

"Whatever," he yawned as she took his phone and punched in her numbers for him.

"There we go," Moto beamed, taking his big hand to return his phone. And then she went to Himuro with a happy blush. "Hello, Himuro-san!" Himuro just smiled back and the two of them started to trade numbers.

Fukui skipped Murasakibara because she already has his. First, she went after Aomine and he actually did it himself as they exchanged their numbers. And then while Moto went to get Kise's, Fukui gladly traded numbers with Midorima, who still wore the tsundere face. After receiving Kise's number and exchanging it with her own, lastly was Himuro's number.

"Hm?" Fukui closed her phone, tilting her head to Koizumi. Koizumi remained where she was standing and her eyes were daydreaming off somewhere. "Koizumi-tan, ya don't wanna trade numbers with yar new friends?"

Koizumi's eyebrows twitched. '_Friends, huh_?' she blinked to herself. She thought the girls were only trading numbers because they wanted boyfriends, but now that Fukui put it that way… She replied, "Not really."

Before Sakai wanted to try to convince her, Moto had already took Koizumi's hand. "Don't be shy!" Moto beamed, dragging her.

Unwilling, Koizumi's feet was sliding on the ground while she tried get away from Moto's grip. "No, stop it," Koizumi hissed with a light glare. The guys were watching the girls struggling and Koizumi got easily upset. "Stop it right now, Moto!" she demanded angrily.

Moto blinked and let her go. Koizumi almost fell backwards and hurried off down the sidewalk by herself. "Ah~ahh," Moto smiled faintly. "Koizumi-chan is still the same as always."

"Ahaha," Fukui laughed, glancing to the boys. "Don't mind her. Koizumi-tan just likes ta be complicated like Midorima-tan, ya see."

Midorima pushed up his glasses, "I don't think I'm as complicated as her."

Sakai frowned to Koizumi's back, who had stopped at the corner and hid her back behind a thin tree. "Koi-chan can be alone forever, I don't care," Sakai pouted childishly.

"Well," Murasakibara looked tired and blinked at the girls. "You girls can always give her number to us… if anyone is interested." None of the boys raised their hands and Murasakibara sighed. "I guess no one cares."

Fukui grinned at him, "Koizumi-tan doesn't like it when we give her phone without her permission anyway. Especially to a boy. Hehe."

It was then Kise looked over to Koizumi. He was a bit dissatisfied since this meant there was one less girl for his friends to get a girl. But he should not try to force someone if Koizumi was not interested. Glancing to his friends, he smiled brightly, "Well, I guess this is all for today. I had fun!"

"Yay!" Murasakibara weakly raised a fist. "Now it's time to buy more sweets of justice before we take off, Muro-chin."

Himuro nodded to him, "Fine."

"Bye bye!" Moto waved when the two guys turned around. "Make sure to call me once and a while, Murasakibara-san, Himuro-san!" Himuro was the only one who waved back and went off with Murasakibara quietly.

Kise chuckled and smiled to Aomine and Midorima. "Well, the girls and I should head back as well," he told them.

"Have a safe trip back home," Aomine shrugged his shoulders, simply getting comfortable with himself.

"Thanks!" Fukui and Moto both said in unison. Sakai had already left their sides to head to Koizumi quietly.

Midorima closed his eyes and said, "Don't try to call me during the school hours. Understood?"

"Aw, why not?" Moto grinned.

"Yeah?" Fukui lightly laughed. "Ya're too shy to talk ta a girl on the phone while at school or something?" Midorima gave her a serious and grim look. "Eh, did I guess right?" she snickered at his expression. "Okay, I'll do what ya prefer. Happy?"

"…Thanks," he said as soon as he turned around to leave.

Moto grinned, "Hey, I didn't agree yet!" He ignored her and she laughed. "Aw, he only cares about you, Fukui-chan." She looked to her.

"Aw, ya think?" Fukui snorted, taking Moto's arm with a smirk.

When Aomine had turned a second after Midorima, Moto reminded, "Don't ever forget you owe me three favors, blue head!" He waved with no word wasted and Moto giggled. "So attractive, but Himuro's much superior."

Laughing lightly, Kise gave the girls a smile. "Well, I'm sure Koizumi is waiting for us to return home," he told them. "Let's go."

"Yes, sir!" Fukui and Moto nodded to him.

The second mixer was successful more or less. Now Kise will just have to wait for time to pass and see how everyone will progress together. Will love bloom, even if they all lived far from each other? There might be some difficulties, but hopefully it would all work in the end. Kise blinked and thought about Akashi and Tomimura. How will they develop together? …And would he want that? Of course he would. That was the point of the mixers. And the only reason.

* * *

**Author's note**: There, now that the mixers are over with… 8D

Pairings I'm starting to like:

Akashi x Tomimura  
Kagami x Yamauchi  
Aomine x Moto  
Murasakibara x Koizumi  
Midorima x Fukui

**Feel free to state your opinions!**

**:3**

And thanks for reading!


	18. See You Later (and with OC profiles)

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 18 was uploaded on December 1, 2013

**My responds to the reviewers of Chapter 17**:

Since Guest-san requested for profiles of my OCs, I provided little info of my OCs here. You can find them at the end of this chapter. I feel the profiles will spoil a tiny bit of the story, but it should be fine. 8D

And to Alyss, I'm not sure about Kise's pairing yet. He might end up alone, who knows? XD

To the Guest, don't worry about the pairings. Those were just my opinions. It is not official, but I am leaning towards it.

**Everyone,** thanks for leaving a review!

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 18: See You Later**

"Atsushi, why are you sulking?" Himuro suppressed a chuckle. The two of them were sitting next to each other in the train, with Himuro sitting by the window. Murasakibara had more bags of snacks, but his lips had been upside down since the long ride. He ate his potato chips and did not respond to his friend's question. "Is it because you didn't get to spend enough time with any of the girls?" Himuro inquired.

Murasakibara swallowed the munched chips and slowly stared at Himuro. "…No," he said, his hand grabbing for another chip. While Himuro smiled softly, Murasakibara started to frown when he turned his head away. "Today was such a waste of time… I can't believe Aka-chin really wanted to do something like this. Kise-chin too. Everyone's already changing before my very eyes once again."

"People will continue to change with passing time, Atsushi," Himuro told him, taking out his cell phone. He went through his call list and went up and down. "I'm sure you'll learn how to cope with your friends getting girlfriends… Though, it's a shame you're not interested in any of the girls, even though you got the numbers from two girls." Which were Fukui and Moto's numbers.

There was a short silence between them. Murasakibara looked at Himuro's call list, who still played around with it. "Muro-chin… did you also want a girlfriend?" he raised a question.

"I thought about it today," he kept on playing with his phone.

"Who do you like then?" Murasakibara leaned closer to him. He read the names as he asked, "Fukui? Moto? Or that blonde…? Hm? Why didn't you get the blonde's number?" Murasakibara remembered her blond hair and he recalled she did not trade numbers with anyone. Would Himuro not want to have more options to choose from if he had the blonde's number too?

Himuro closed his phone and smiled with a glance. "And there's another girl with you're missing from your memory," he told him.

"Really?" Murasakibara blinked, leaning back. He grabbed another chip and ate it slowly. Recalling only three girls, he did not try to think very hard. But then he almost grasped which girl Himuro was talking about. "So that other girl, who I can't really remember… Was she the one who almost took the last piece of pizza? Is she the one you like then?"

"Heh," Himuro leaned back against the seat. Putting his cell phone away, he slightly nodded. "Yes. I have a bit of interest in her… She's the first to look so angry when she had the chance to exchange numbers with us. And me."

Murasakibara refreshed his memory and called the girl's face in his mind now. Lucky for her because he barely remember anyone's face when he met him or her for the first time. Then Murasakibara flattened his face, "Ehhhh? So Muro-chin likes girls who play hard-to-get?" Not shocking, but he just wanted to say it loudly.

"I don't think she's playing hard-to-get," Himuro gradually look out the window to his left. "She has friends to bring her out in the open, but she's still afraid."

"Don't waste your time on her," Murasakibara suggested, blinking at him. "It's not worth dealing with girls who are too shy." Too much work and she would not even give Himuro a second look.

Himuro chuckled and returned a look. "Atsushi, don't you have any slight interest in any of the girls?"

Shaking his head, he took the last chip out with a smug smile. "No oneeeeee," he replied childishly. "The tall girl seems to have her eyes on you, the talking-baby girl is just playing around, and the blonde is heartbroken by Kise-chin. None of them did not look at me long enough and I rather not be an extra for them to choose from." And Murasakibara was not willingly to let any of that happen to him. Too much drama, for one.

"If you say so," Himuro smiled, slightly turning his head away. Though Himuro understand his friend's view, he still believed Murasakibara had someone in mind. There had to be someone.

"Um, well," Murasakibara blinked, looking up. "We have Inter-High to worry about. I hope everyone won't lose their concentration. It'll be so boring if they get distracted with love. Don't you agree?"

Himuro nodded, "Quite so, yes."

\o~o/

With the time passing, Seki and Yamauchi returned to Tomimura's home. Seki unlocked the door with the house key and walked in first with a bag of toilet papers. "Sorry we took so long," Seki called as Yamauchi closed the door behind them.

In the living room, Tomimua snapped her head back to Seki. She was sitting up with the blanket wrapped around her body. "You two were gone for a very, very long time," Tomimura frowned. Seki walked toward the bathroom door while Yamauchi stepped into the living room. "What exactly have you two been doing all this time? Go to the store ten times?"

Yamauchi was smiling nervously, "Um…"

Seki set the bag of toilet papers in the bathroom and walked into the living room casually. Akashi was sitting on the ground, across the coffee table. "Did you cook for her when we were gone, Akashi?" Seki inquired, glancing to the kitchen. She did not see the pot and everything else was clean.

"Of course," he nodded. "And it was almost time for me to leave."

While he stood up, Tomimura let out a relief. "Finally," she said. Though he had nothing else to her, she really preferred to be alone and napping.

Walking around the table, Akashi looked at Seki, who seemed to be hiding something that would benefit him. Before he went to Seki, he went behind the couch and his hand reached to feel Tomimura's forehead. It was still warm and she turned her head away instantly. She frowned up at him and he told her, "Get well soon."

"I will, as soon as you leave," she pointed to the door.

"Before he leaves," Seki took something out of her pant's pocket. Tomimura blinked when she took out a key. "Akashi, I made this spare keys for you and me… just in cause something happens to me and no one might not be able to look after Tomimura."

"Seki!" Tomimura threw the blanket off her shoulders and got up to kneel on the couch. "What the hell?!"

Akashi gladly accepted the key and he said, "Why, thank you."

Yamauchi sighed to herself and hid her face. She was unable to stop Seki from making more keys, which was why they were out pretty long. Tomimura was furious and Yamachi looked to her, "Please, Tomimura-chan, don't overdo yourself!"

"Yeah," Seki smiled with a glance.

"I can't believe you did that without my permission," Tomimura glared.

Seki blinked, "But it was for good intention. Akashi won't do anything to you anyway. The more people who have a spare key, the better. And safer, you hear me?"

Tomimura still found her friend's action unacceptable. She wanted to jump out and take the key from Akashi. Accidentally using force in her hands and her upper body, the couch begun falling backwards. She opened her mouth and held in her breath. Before it tilted more, Akashi reached out and pushed the couch back on its legs, but he did it rather harshly. So he took Tomimura's wrist before she fell back on the coffee table. He pulled her and she gained her balance. "Akashi, give it back!" she demanded, trying to shake her wrist free from his grip.

"You should be thanking me," he smiled a bit, eyes looking down to her gaze.

Her face heated with anger and she hit his hand with her other hand. He was not letting go easily and felt no pain from her hitting and slapping. "I'm serious, you better not walk out with that key," she hissed. "Or I'll change the locks!"

"Doesn't matter, but I don't believe you'll do it," he said, certain of it. Tomimura growled and frowned, still trying her best to shake him off.

"Um… Tomimura-chan," Yamauchi blinked. But then her phone rang so she reached into her bag to take her blue phone out. "Oh, Kagami-kun," Yamauchi smiled to her ID caller. Turning and walking out of the living room, she answered, "Hi, Kagami-kun. What is it?"

Seki pushed up her glasses and sidestepped to listen to Yamauchi's conversation. Akashi and Tomimura were still doing their thing. He stared at her calmly and she only glared right back.

Kagami's voice said, "Oh, I was wondering if you were free."

"A little bit," Yamauchi beamed. She was getting used to his random calls and even she would call him at random times. "Did you want to talk?"

"Akashi, let me go!" Tomimura started to shout.

"Uh…" Kagami uttered. "…What is Akashi doing over there?"

"Oh," Yamauchi giggled uneasily. "He wanted to see Tomimura because she was sick… and right now, they're arguing. Sorry if you have to hear that."

Kagami sighed, "I hope he's not making her feel worst."

"No, I think Tomimura-chan is getting a little better," Yamauchi blinked innocently. At least, that was how she saw it as. When Yamauchi turned her head, Seki was just right behind her and Yamauchi jumped a bit.

Seki tilted her head, "Sounds like you're getting along with Kagami. That's good."

Yamauchi smiled awkwardly, "Uh, yeah…"

"_Ba_-kashi, do you hear me?!" Tomimura shouted again.

He was so quiet and seemed reluctant to let her go even more. Only because he begun to get a feeling from her hand, which seemed to carry a heavy weight that may cost her very own life. When she started coughing, he let her wrist go, but let his hand slipped down to hold her hand. "Try to take good care of yourself," he told her, walking closer to her so her arm did not have to extend far.

Tomimura patted her chest and snapped her eyes to him. Though his grip was looser, she did try to take her hand away. His hand felt kind of nice. "You're becoming a hazardous to me," she told him with a light glare.

Akashi sneered a bit, "The bitter the medicine is, the better the cure."

"Tsk," she then snatched her hand away and he did not care to get it back. When he faced away and walked off, she demanded, "Wait, give me the key!"

He said nothing and walked pass the two girls and grabbed the doorknob. "See you later," he waved.

"Bye," Seki waved a couple of times, looking back to him.

Yamauchi was still on the phone, but also said, "Have a safe ride back home, Akashi-kun."

Tomimura sighed in defeat and dropped her body on the couch. "Damn that… _Ba_-kashi!" she mumbled, burying her face into her pillow. Her friends were still in the room and were on the phone together with Kagami. Cursing in her head, Tomimura frowned and got up again. "I don't like where life is going right now…" she flatly murmured to herself.

\o~o/

At the train station, Sakai was in the bathroom for a long time. She had already arrived home with the others and she told them to go ahead and head back home themselves. Sakai simply wanted to avoid Kise. Even if he had something to say, she did not wish to hear. Because she already understood his thoughts and he did not mean to hurt her feelings.

Sakai stared at herself in the mirror and laid her palm on it. Mirror. It was like water's reflection. Then it reminded her about the ocean. And the ocean was just like a mirror that seemed to reflect the blue sky. Everything has two sides to them. She glared at herself and almost wanted to hit the mirror with her fist. Clearly, she was very heartbroken and very bothered about Kise's words. No matter how much she wanted to understand his kindness, her thoughts kept telling her something else. But then she blocked it and did not want to recall any of those negative thoughts.

"I'm not like that anymore," she told herself in the mirror. "Sakai Rin, don't disappoint your family and friends…"

Time went by again and she finally gathered herself, her bag, and then left the women's restroom. Just out the door and to the hallway, she stopped in the middle of walking when she saw Akashi leaving the men's bathroom. Their eyes met when they noticed each other. His right shoulder was facing her and his eyes grew cold the moment he saw her.

Sakai could not believe she ran into Akashi here. Of all places and why now? He started walking up to her. Thinking she had to act tough, she remained where she was. Just when he walked next to her, he did not look at her and their stood shoulder to shoulder. She glared with a glance, "Is there something you want?"

It was a good thing they ran into each other. Since there was still time before the train left, Akashi inquired, "Something seemed off about Tomimura today." Sakai kept her eyes away and listened willingly. "Do you know anything?"

"Obviously she's sick," Sakai replied, tilting her head annoyingly. Perhaps this was not a good time to talk to him. Sakai was feeling even more upset with him next to her now. And why was he here again? Did he actually come her to see if Tomimura was doing okay? Sakai was not certain know to feel grateful for his concern or even care about him in general.

He smirked and gave her a quick look, "She did something before she got sick, did she not?" She appeared a bit angry and did not seem to catch what he was getting at. And she was getting impatient with him. "I think Tomimura did something that she should not have done. And I know it has something to do with all of you."

Slightly opening her eyes wider, she realized what he was trying to get across her mind. '_How does he know_?' she thought. Did Tomimura leaked out information? There was no way she would do it though. Quietly gazing to Akashi, she did not turn her body. His eyes stared down at her and he wanted a satisfying answer. However, she was not going to tell him anything. "It's our secret. You don't need to rub your nose in it." Facing to him now, she rested her arm on his shoulder. "Or you'll just get _hurt."_

Akashi shrugged her off and she snickered. "You're going to tell me about," he demanded.

"Why would you care so much?" she grinned, looking into his eyes that appeared even more serious. "If I told you, would you leave us and not turn back? Or would you butt into our business?" He quietly stared at her and almost wanted to push her for the answer he desired. "You are smart, right? Find it out yourself."

His eyes slightly glared when she gave him one look of mockery. Before she turned away, he grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "It doesn't matter what happens if I find out or when I do find out," he muttered, staring with impatience. "But today, I want to know. And you're going to _tell_ me."

Sakai struggled to get her arm back, but he held on tightly and he was getting rather violent. "Let go, you creep," she glared at him. This was only adding up her rage. And he was making this subject worse than it already is. "_Ba_-kashi, do you hear me?!"

Feeling even more disrespected, he pushed her to the wall and her light green bag fell down to her right wrist. Foreseeing her next action, his other hand grabbed her right wrist when she grabbed her bag to plan on hitting him in the head. "If you tell me, then this would all be over with," he said. His eyes seemed to glow faintly for a mere second.

His face turned quite horrifying and she stopped struggling. '_No… keep it in_,' she told herself, closing her eyes shut. Her breathing started to shake and she erased his stare out of her mind. "Le…let me go first," she opened her eyes.

For a second, he sworn he felt another person inside of her. Just a matter of speech though. She was calm now and he sneered as he let her go. Sakai fixed her bag to her shoulder and her eyes became watery. She looked scared. All the better. "Say it then," he told her. "Reveal your secret to me…. and I'll leave."

Sakai did not look at him. Her hands trembled and she tried to think straight. Wanting him to disappear as soon as possible, she decided to answer to his command. "I… signed a contract to play a Life and Death game," she quietly started to say. He raised an eyebrow. She stared at her feet and continued, "It's a game between guns versus swords. Tomi-chan and I… and the other girls are called Bullets… we fight the other girls who are known was Blades…"

"…Who is sponsoring this?" he inquired curiously. There was no way they all could get away with taking another life of a person. Someone had to be behind all of it.

"Some rich men who opposes each other," she replied. Her voice was still quiet. It was as if she was holding back herself.

Akashi rubbed his chin and looked to the side. '_What an interesting game they're playing_,' he thought indifferently. "…And last Monday, was Tomimura fighting around then?"

"…Yes."

"And she killed a person?" he glanced to her, narrowing his eyes. "She 'won' the battle?"

"…Yes."

Akashi was impressed, "Seriously? A girl like her actually took a life with her own hands? What if the police found out?"

"I don't know," her eyes still stared at her feet. Her voice was only in a monotone.

He glared and put his hand on the wall to lean closer to her left ear. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice rather deadly. She did not respond and her eyes were becoming strange. "Explain to me how does the game works, Sakai Rin."

Sakai blinked slowly and tilted her head because he was too close. "…Your train is going to leave soon," she wanted to warn.

Akashi paused and moved away. "Then I'll find out the rest myself," he smirked. Reaching to touch her long wavy blond hair, he walked away with his eyes on her. "You were a good girl. Maybe we will get along in the future." Her hair slipped off his fingers and he did not look back as he walked away. "Let's meet again like this, Sakai."

She listened to his footsteps in disgust. When the echoes of his footsteps were gone, she let out a breaking sigh. Recalling the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes tormented her. Tears finally fell down her eyes and she rubbed her face. "Nakano-chan…" Sakai begun to sobbed, falling on her knees. She wiped her tears and was unable to stop herself from trembling. "I'm sorry… but… I really… wanted… to kill… him… so badly…"

For months, Sakai tried hard to not thrust out for blood. However, Akashi was only reawakening that feeling inside of her. She hated him. He thought he could get anything he wanted from her and she let him. Her pride was hurt for not being to stand up for herself. If she was the person she at a younger age… she would have killed him without a single thought. She only wished to be a better person. Her thoughts kept thinking about Akashi wanting to crush that wish of hers. It was like he wanted to convert her back to who she once was. Did he know he was doing that to her? She felt even more upset by the thought of it. It was more likely he wanted to.

'_I'm only an hungry animal in his eyes_,' she concluded, hiccupping. Then perhaps that was the only path that was true to her. Maybe she did not have to force herself to be cheerful anymore.

'_Geez, Rin, don't let it get to you_!'

Clearly, Sakai remembered that voice she kept in her heart. She had used it as a motto to continue at least a better life. But it was now shattering. It was becoming meaningless. And useless. Joy and sadness were worthless.

Sakai stayed where she was for a long time. People walked by, giving her glances and wondering about her. She waited for time to pass. Her phone rung, but she ignored it many times. And night finally drew in. Sakai stood up and her eyes felt tired from crying. Walking forward, she tried to think of walking forward. She did not have to go back into the darkness. Her future was already bright with her family and friends. Her single ray of light was still there. She would be just fine after a night's rest.

The train station filled with few people. She walked out of there and took a lonely street. Her eyes looked up and she kept on going to head back to her warm family. After a couple of blocks, Sakai walked passed a park. A streetlight was flickering and she spotted a group of girls laughing together at their own jokes.

Walking around them on the same sidewalk, a girl glanced to her. "Hey, aren't you that girl who had been hanging around Kise as of late?"

Two girls soon blocked Sakai's path by five feet. There were six of them in total, Sakai realized. Her eyes glanced around when another girl said, "I saw Tomimura with this blonde last year. Remember Tomimura? That bitch was with Kise at the time too."

'_Kise's fans_?' Sakai thought to herself. For fans, these girls look like they were a part of a gang or something. Kise's fans. Kise Ryouta. Kise. Kise and Akashi. Akashi. Sakai stared at the girls and her eyes slowly narrowed. A tall short black haired girl walked up to Sakai and slightly spitted to the right. "You girls aren't the ones who bullied Tomi-chan and hurt her feelings by calling her 'ugly', are you?" Sakai inquired. Her tone was calm, but her eyes glared.

"Oh yeah, we called her that a bunch of times," one of the girls leered. Someone giggled.

Making no effort to remember the faces of any girls, Sakai snickered. "I haven't been in a good mood recently," she said, grabbing for her bag. "But I can give out some free cash as a charity."

"Heh, if you're going to easily—"

Out from her bag, Sakai swiftly took her gun and pointed to the tallest girl's forehead. The girls behind the tall girl all backed away and held their breaths. "_Hey_… Did you know?" Sakai whispered, watching the tall girl's face turning pale. Sakai grinned at the lovely frightened expressions. This was the time to let her dark side come out to play. "I'm known as the Golden Bullet who played a Life and Death game for five years."

She pressed the trigger and the gunshots echoed in the night similar to screams.

Falling into the darkness felt good. That was what Sakai last thought.

In one of the neighborhoods, at a dull brown house of two stories, a young girl was sitting on the porch with sleepy eyes. The ends of her wavy blond hair touched her shoulders and her red eyes looked around when she the faint gunshots echoing all around. Was it a gang fight? The girl was dressed in her red pajamas and she stared at the front yard, waiting patiently.

Four to five minutes of waiting after hearing the gunshots, Sakai appeared. She was walking with her head down and was heading to the same house the girl was waiting on the pouch. "Onee-sama, you shouldn't walk around with those drops of blood on your clothes," the young girl blinked, resting her chin in her palm.

Sakai quickly looked up, a bit startled and stared at the girl younger than her. Her only sister, the sixteen-year-old Sakai Yua, was staring blankly. The wind howled quietly and Sakai's eyes tear up when her sister smiled a bit. "Yua!" Sakai ran to her, tossing her bag to the ground.

The younger sister blinked and let Sakai fall on her knees to hug her tightly. "Eh, you never cried since your first boyfriend and best friend died," Sakai Yua recalled, slightly glaring. "What's wrong? I'll go punch that person for you, Onee-sama." Sakai was sobbing and her sister smoothed her hair. "Shh… if you get any louder, mom and dad will find out what you've been doing for five years."

"Mm," Sakai mumbled, pulling away. Her sister wiped her tears away with both hands and Sakai just felt so touched. Seeing her sister's calm and understanding expression brought Sakai back to the light. Just as easy as that. That was all Sakai needed and it was for her sister to support her. "I love you, Yua," Sakai hugged her again, smiling happily.

Her sister frowned, still wondering what got her sister worked up. "…Onee-sama… did you kill someone just a short while ago?" she inquired. Sakai's body froze and her sister shook her head. "Didn't you said Tomimura fought this month already? …The second round has not been assigned, so… why did you…?"

Sakai pulled away and stood up with an upside down smile. "…I know," she nodded timidly. "My boss is going to find out and scold me by tomorrow." Nothing escaped his ears after all.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Sakai Yua asked, getting up and stood on the step of the porch. Her older sister shook her head. "Okay, fine… Hurry inside to get change. Don't forget your bag."

Nodding, Sakai turned around to get her bag from the ground. Rushing to her younger sister, the two of them held hands and went inside the house together. The lights were mostly off, so it was good to hide the blood on Sakai's clothes. Although, Sakai was more worried about what she had committed outside of work. '_I'm going to be in a big trouble now_,' Sakai thought, taking a deep breath. Whether life was going to go down or up, as long as Sakai had her sister and friends, she felt less scared about the shadows of tomorrow.

* * *

My original characters' little profiles:

~ Tomimura Mizuki ~  
**Age**: 18 (will turn 19 this year)  
**Hair color**: dull, light brown  
**Eye color**: blue-violet  
**Height**: 155 cm  
**Birthday**: December 20  
**Zodiac Sign**: Sagittarius  
**Hobby**: listening to music  
**Favorite food**: Cream of Chicken  
**Family**: two aunts

~ Sakai Rin ~  
**Age**: 19 (will turn 20 this year)  
**Hair color**: blond/yellow  
**Eye color**: blue  
**Height**: 159 cm  
**Birthday**: September 27  
**Zodiac Sign**: Libra  
**Hobby**: dancing  
**Favorite food**: Chinese dumplings  
**Family**: father, mother, and a younger sister

~ Yamauchi Takara ~  
**Age**: 17 (will turn 18 next year)  
**Hair color**: dark brown  
**Eye color**: brown  
**Height**: 149 cm  
**Birthday**: February 23  
**Zodiac Sign**: Pisces  
**Hobby**: cleaning  
**Favorite food**: cheese  
**Family**: father, mother, grandfather, and grandmother

~ Seki Kiriko ~  
**Age**: 17 (will turn 18 this year)  
**Hair color**: black  
**Eye color**: brown  
**Height**: 153 cm  
**Birthday**: July 23  
**Zodiac Sign**: Leo  
**Hobby**: reading books (mostly shoujo manga)  
**Favorite food**: shrimp  
**Family**: mother and a younger brother

~ Moto Shizuka ~  
**Age**: 18 (will turn 19 next year)  
**Hair color**: brown  
**Eye color**: bright brown  
**Height**: 174 cm  
**Birthday**: April 7  
**Zodiac Sign**: Aries  
**Hobby**: tarot card reading  
**Favorite food**: pudding  
**Family**: father, mother, and two older brothers

~ Fukui Kotone ~  
**Age**: 17 (will turn 18 this year)  
**Hair color**: light brown  
**Eye color**: brown  
**Height**: 154 cm  
**Birthday**: September 9  
**Zodiac Sign**: Virgo  
**Hobby**: cooking  
**Favorite food**: mushrooms  
**Family**: father and four younger brothers

~ Koizumi Sayuri ~  
**Age**: 17 (will turn 18 this year)  
**Hair color**: redish-brown  
**Eye color**: dull red  
**Height**: 166 cm  
**Birthday**: December 31  
**Zodiac Sign**: Capricorn  
**Hobby**: sewing by hand  
**Favorite food**: dark chocolate  
**Family**: mother

Thanks for reading!


	19. Something I May Lack

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 19 was uploaded on December 3, 2013

***To Alyss (Guest)**: When you said, "write a four-square love" for Tomimura, Kise, Akashi, and Sakai… I softly slapped my face with a grin and asked myself, "What have I got myself into?" XD …I'll see what I can do, but I can't guarantee if I can meet your expectations.

**NOTE everyone**: Please excuse any typos you see. I always read before updating. And I usually go back to read chapters over again and correct the typos.

Enjoy reading!

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

Texting

* * *

**Chapter 19: Something I May Lack**

The next day, Yamauchi was eating pancakes for breakfast at her home. She was up early and did not want her grandparents to get up to cook something for her. Simply because, yesterday, she was happy Fukui actually got something from Tokyo for her. Yamauchi's blue phone had a new companion. It was a cell phone charm, which was in a shape of a red 'crystal' five-point star and it would look like it was glowing if you put it in the sunlight. Yamauchi was so happy, she stared at it with her lamp most of the night, but it did not work as well as the sun.

Speaking of yesterday, Yamauchi suddenly felt concern. "Sakai-chan didn't come yesterday," she thought out loud, licking her fork with the syrup. Imayoshi and the others were trying to get a hold of Sakai. The blonde never missed a day without an excuse before. As a result, they were all rather worried.

With the passing time, Yamauchi had done the dishes and took her black school bag, sneaking her sky blue purse into it since it had her gun. Leaving out the front door, she locked from the outside and put her keys into her skirt's pocket. Just as she walked through the wired gates, her phone vibrated. Wondering who sent her a text so early, she went to get it out from her other pocket. It was from 'work' and she stared at the ID caller curiously. When she opened it, she paused in her steps. It read: _Bullets, meet up afternoon at the usual place. No excuses_.

"…That's odd," Yamauchi whispered. She gripped on her phone and deleted the message. Closing it, she tilted her head and was simply confused. 'This means boss is going meet with us… I wonder what he wants to talk about?"

\o~o/

A man in black suit slapped across Sakai's face and she fell on the floor loudly, her elbow and palms landing first. Glaring, Tomimura walked forward, but then Seki grabbed her hand to bring her back. They were in the gunroom together, Fukui stood by Seki nervously, Koizumi had a poker face and she stood with Moto. And Yamauchi was next to Moto.

"Do you understand what rule you breached, Sakai?" the man demanded. His jet-black hair was gelled back; a few tiny bangs fell on both sides of his face. He was wearing sunglasses to cover up his blinded eyes. In his left hand was a white blind cane. Sakai moved to sit up and quietly glared at the ground with nothing to say. "Tell me, why did you kill those group of girls last night? Did you think you could hide it from me?!" His voice roared, sending chills to all of the girls' nerves.

"Sakai-chan…" Yamauchi whimpered. Moto hugged Yamauchi tightly, worried about Sakai as well.

"I knew you would find out by today," Sakai mumbled, looking up to him blankly. "And I'm here to receive punishment, boss…"

"You didn't answer my question," he gritted his teeth. She said nothing and continued to stare at his eyes. Even if he did not see her, he could feel her quiet stare. "Sakai, you're my proud Bullet. You fought by my side for five years. _Five years_. Tell me what made you snap that night. I'll listen to any excuse you have."

Tomimura glanced to their boss and took note he really does care for Sakai. Since the two of them were together the longest.

Sakai laughed a little, a bit more cheerful. "Oh, it's nothing," she told him, smiling. "I just really wanted to kill that night." There was no point in bringing Akashi up. Just saying his name would drive her mad.

"Do you even understand by unnecessarily killing bystanders will bring trouble to us? Your friends?" he demanded, trying to lower his voice.

"I do," Sakai nodded, moving to stand up. Her elbow hurt and she bowed her hand. "And I'm sorry… it was all on an impulse… I couldn't forgive… and… I was just really hurt."

Their boss grunted, "Sakai, you're _smarter_ than that!" She winced and his head faced to the other girls on the right side of the wall. "As for all of you, if this happens the second time, no matter who did it, I won't let it slide." They were quiet. "Do you hear me?!"

"Yes boss," all the girls, but Sakai, said in unison.

He growled a bit and his head turned back to Sakai, who stood very still. "As for you… be more careful," he said, lowering his anger voice now. "If you don't want to end up as Nakano, then control your feelings more. I don't want to lose another great talent in my ranks."

Tomimura's eyes twitched and all of the girls lowered their heads uneasily. After a moment, Sakai shut her eyes and bowed halfway. "I understand, boss," she said, making her voice loud and clear. "It will never happen again. I promise."

Walking to her, he patted on her head gently. "Seriously, tell me who made you snapped," he told her. Sakai blinked, tightening her lips. "Was it some girl who ticked you off? Or someone else? Is it another guy?"

He talked as if he knew what was going through Sakai's head. As honest as possible, she replied, "It's just a couple of people… they're not worth mentioning." Sakai felt his hand leave her head and he walked away without another word. He left out the door and never looked back. And when they were sure he was gone…

"Sakai-chan!" Yamauchi cried, running to her for a hug. The blonde almost fell back and she giggled nervously. "Are you okay?" Yamauchi pulled away and touch the bruise that was forming on Sakai's left cheek.

Wincing a bit, Sakai smiled, "I'm okay."

"Seriously," Seki frowned with her eyes closed. "What was boss thinking? How can you walk out normally with that on your face? What if your parents ask you what happened? And here boss was telling us to be careful."

"She can just think of an excuse for her parents," Moto grinned. Everyone walked to surround Sakai. Moto added, "Just say a bully wanted to punch someone, but you drove in and got punched instead."

"Lame!" Fukui chuckled, moving to hug around Sakai's neck. "I say Sakai's face got dyed by some kind of purple paint cause she was sleepin' and droolin' on it… What do ya think, eh?"

"No, but it is better than what Moto suggested," Tomimura sighed at the tall girl, shaking her head. Tomimura would never choose any of those excuses. But what choice do they have?

Koizumi looked at the giggling girls and Tomimura sighed at them again. "Sakai, tell us what happened when we left the train station," she told her. Sakai blinked and stared at her quietly. "I'm assuming something must have happened around then, right?"

Tomimura glanced to her, "At the train station?"

"Yeah," Moto pouted. "Sakai-can was depressed about Kise-san's rejection—"

"He didn't really reject me," Sakai quickly defended herself, pouting.

'_Train station_,' Tomimura thought, staring into space. "…What time did you girls get back?"

Sakai panicked a bit as Fukui answered casually, "After three, I think."

"Huh," Seki pushed up her glasses. "That was at the same time as… Ohhhhhh." Seki just figured it out.

Tomimura glared to the side, "Akashi?"

Koizumi, Fukui, and Moto looked to Tomimura curiously. "Who?" Moto inquired. Sakai's face turned rather dark and her head lowered to the ground. Moto blinked, "Akashi? I'm guessing someone with that name made you lose your head, Sakai-chan? Why's that?"

"It's nothing!" Sakai retorted, taking a few steps away from the girls.

Quietly, Tomimura stared to her. "What did he do this time, Sakai?" she asked, folding her arms to her chest. Sakai shook her head and begun looking upset. "What did he do to you?"

"I said it's nothing," Sakai tried to calm her voice. She turned around, but then a hand took her arm. Looking back, Sakai's eyes met with Yamauchi who gripped her arm with both hands. Yamauchi seemed hurt and very concerned. "Yama-chan…"

"Please, tell us what is bothering you, Sakai-chan," Yamauchi pleaded timidly. "I… I know I only joined this year with Tomimura-chan, but I really love you as my friend… so please… We're here for you, okay?"

Fukui nodded, walking beside Yamauchi. "Till death ta us part, right?" she grinned.

Walking forward, Moto and Seki were nodding. Koizumi and Tomimura stood where they were while Sakai pouted at the girls' faces. "…You guys are all awesome," Sakai's eyes got watery. "But really… I don't want to talk about it!" And that was as truthful as she could get. "Now, let's just talk about our experiences with the mixer!" she forced a smile.

"Fine," Seki returned a smile. She rather lightened up the mood until Sakai was ready to share. "Tell me how it went in the second mixer."

Koizumi sighed to herself and Tomimura blinked to her curiously. Moto gladly chirped, "I really like Himuro-san, but I think Aomine-san's pretty sexy too!"

"Did you take pictures of them?" Seki inquired. She wanted to judge on the men's look herself.

"Awwww, no," Moto scratched her head, giggling after. Maybe she should have. She missed how they looked like already.

Yamauchi smiled sweetly, "Fukui-chan, who do you have your eyes on?"

"Heh…" Fukui smirked. "I don't know… too many cuties. Himuro-tan especially. I can't really decide." With a curious question, she inquired, "What about ya girls from de first mixer? Yaall got someone, right?"

Seki pointed to the blushing Tomimura, "She got Akashi."

"I got no one!" Tomimura blurted, walking to them. She grabbed Seki's arm and shook her. "You better not tell them lies! And I still hadn't forgiven you for making spare keys, Seki!"

"Seki did what?" Koizumi joined with them, looking a bit astounded.

Laughing uneasily, Yamauchi said, "Akashi-kun has a spare key to Tomimura-chan's house… and apparently Seki-chan told Akashi-kun to read Shoujo manga to—" Seki immediately moved to cover Yamauchi's mouth with her palm. Tomimura blinked and wondered what Yamauchi was going to say.

"Wow, your relationship with him is going so fast!" Moto laughed, jumping to Tomimura and embracing her. Tomimura grumbled a lot of words, but Moto covered her mouth her with shoulder. "Introduce me to him next time, okay, Tomimura-chan?"

Sakai shook her head, "Oh, what a nightmare it must be for Tomi-chan…"

At the same time as some of the girls laughed, Koizumi moved to lean back on the table near by. "Hey, Tomimura," she called. Fortunately all the girls heard her and quieted down. "I never asked about your first experience of killing another person… how was it?"

"Depressing," Tomimura answered right away, frowning with her head tilted to the side. "That girl really knows how to move… and as you know, she got a few cuts on me, stabbed into my thigh—"

"Ouch!" Fukui winced. "Dat must really hurt!"

"I wonder who's going to go next?" Seki pushed up her glasses as it flashed.

"Eh?" Yamauchi blinked to her. She was confused. "How does the system work again?" All of the girls sighed to her with complete silence and Yamauchi blushed with shame. "Sorry… I forgot," she told them, smiling nervously.

"Let me explain!" Moto grinned, grabbing Yamauchi's shoulders with her arm. "Our boss will send us a picture of our opponent in the beginning of the first week of the month. You're the only one who's supposed to know their face and we're not allowed to know. But what we can know is what day and time the 'battle' will start. As for the place where the battle will take place, it depends on how you or the opponent move. You two will decide for yourselves."

Yamauchi blinked, "Oh." She really did forget about how it worked. This week was the last week of April. That would mean the next battle would be announced soon. "Which one of us will fight next?" she looked at her friends.

Fukui smiled, "It's done randomly. It could me, Koizumi-tan, or ya, Yamauchi-tan." Yamauchi looked frightened and Fukui laughed at her. "Don't worry! Ya'll do fine! I believe in ya!"

"You almost make it sound it'll be her turn, Fuku-chan," Sakai frowned.

Koizumi let out a sigh, "I hope I go next. I want to see how much I improved from last year."

Seki shook her head while the girls were still on the subject. Tomimura glanced to Sakai silently. Though Sakai seemed better and happier, Tomimura could not help but wonder what Akashi did or say to her to make her kill others. '_It's not his fault, but_…' she glared at the ground. '_It does not change the fact he hurt her feelings once again_.'

\o~o/

That night, Tomimura sat down on her couch after turning her CD player on and having a bit of dinner. She took her bright yellow cell phone and started to call Akashi. He picked up after the fourth tone, "Akashi."

"You're still not greeting—"

"What did you say to Sakai to make her so mad?" she demanded right away, making certain her voice would not raise first.

There was no pause or hesitation in his sentence, "Do you really want to know?"

Tomimura felt as though he was expecting her to call him about this sooner or later. She glared, hating the way he seemed to be acting as if he knew everything. Even if he did, does he really think hurting others were fun? Keeping her voice calm, she replied, "Of course I do."

"Mm," he had a moment of silence. She heard a book closed in the background. "I got suspicious about you girls, so I asked her about that game you girls are playing." She widened her eyes and could not move her mouth to respond. "You took a life with your own hands. That doesn't really fit you, Tomimura. But I find it amusing so I like to continue to talk to you as before."

She could not believe what she was hearing. Upset and confused, she would think when Person A discovered Person B killed someone, Person A would leave and not be friends with Person B anymore. Only families and friends would stay by their side to support them, even if they did something as horrible as taking another life. Maybe not all families and friends, but still. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she gritted her teeth. "You forced Sakai, didn't you? Why didn't you just ask me instead?"

"Because you were sick." Tomimura's eyes widened again. He could not be that kind of a guy. He actually cared about her being sick? He continued talking, "And Sakai had the perfect timing. Why would I let the chance to slip away?"

Tomimura heard pleasure in his tone. "Akashi, I do not approve of you hurting my friends like this," she told him, gripping on her phone tightly. "If you want to do that stupid love experiment with me, do it peacefully!" She paused and had a sudden realization. Her voice was lost and she stared at the wall in front of her.

"What's wrong?"

Akashi was very a smart person, right? Sometimes it seemed like he did not care about her feelings when they first started to know each other. He was using her to learn about love, but what if that was just an excuse to get close to the girls? Who was Akashi? She bit her lip. As much as she did not want to assume he was just using her for his amusement, she could no longer stand it anymore. She had had enough. The whole week they spent talking to each other was nothing but nonsense. And her heart ached. Of his stupid words and hurting Sakai twice.

"I will 'peacefully' carry on that love experiment, if that is really what you desire," he said on the phone. "Yesterday, Seki suggested me to one shoujo manga. It's rather intriguing."

Shoujo manga? That was so random. Just now, he grunted and sounded like it was something he blurted out because he felt 'delighted' about something. Tomimura slowly glared as her thoughts lead to, '_Is he reading shoujo manga… to study them_?' Yamauchi was going to mention something about it too, but Seki stopped her. '_Akashi and Seki_…' she slapped her face with her hand. Those two must have been planning something for Tomimura. And she was not happy about it. Was it all a game to him all along?

Before Akashi could utter another word, Tomimura retorted to his last sentence, "Akashi, this isn't a game of love where you try to use strategies for a girl to fall for you! Can't you do something from your heart? I'm done with your experiment! And Sakai's my friend! How could—how _dare_ you do that to her?! I hate—" The phone was cut off from his end. He probably hung up on her. "…you…" she glared harder. After a moment of silence, Tomimura threw her phone as hard as she could. It hit the wall and broke into two pieces, with the back only coming off, and it landed on the carpet.

Never been so angry in her entire life, she raised the first knuckle of her first finger into her mouth and she bit on her finger as hard as possible. Until it hurt so much, she would stop. Ten seconds later, she drew her finger and winced. "Ow…" she held her hand gently, red teeth marks on her first finger. Half of her rage was gone now, at the very least. But heart was still hurting. Tears filled up in her eyes and she closed her eyes. "Oh my god, why the hell am I crying for?" she asked herself in disgust.

There was one thing Tomimura never understood in most shoujo manga. The protagonist always cried about something for no reason. At the very least, that was how Tomimura observed when she last read a manga a few years back. And now Tomimura felt like she crying without a reason. Perhaps the cause would be because of Akashi. And then she stopped her tears and wiped them away bitterly.

Akashi was not worth the trouble. But Tomimura cared for Sakai and she could not stop thinking about how Akashi would have forced information out of her friend. Tomimura held in her breath for a moment. '_Sakai… must have been scared and angry too_,' Tomimura thought, moving to place her head on her pillow. Her thoughts traced back to Kise and she frowned. "I knew Kise would bring _some_ kind of drama into my life…"

And she was right. Just how long would she have to see him? Hopefully not too often. Better yet, never again.

\o~o/

Akashi was staring at his phone's screen when he hung up. He foresaw where she was going to say because of her raging voice. She was going to say 'I hate you' but he had no need to hear it. Why would he rather not hear it though? He should have been able to just ignore it easily. Thinking a little more, he felt she was going to say it with all of her heart. So he asked himself again, '_Why can I not stand to hear it_?'

Because only her, she could shatter his feelings with that single sentence.

"…Seijuurou."

He closed his cell phone slowly and glanced to his bedroom door. His father was standing by the door and looking directly at him. Great. Did his father hear him talking on the phone? Akashi did not bother to hide the shoujo manga on his desk and asked, "Yes, father?"

The man with semi-long black hair and brown eyes stared at him. His bangs were long down to his ears and his hair neat and straight. "Whom were you talking to?" Akashi's father inquired. His eyes were demanding and expected honest answers. "You were saying something about a love experiment?"

So his father only heard that part? That was good. Akashi did not want him to find out about Tomimura's identity. "…I'm talking to a girl about it," he answered slowly. "She said she would help me understand… love." Akashi actually felt awkward telling his father about it, but he kept his emotionless poker face.

"Why are you seeing her?" his father queried.

"We are not what you think we are."

"So, you are not dating her?"

"Not at all. We are only talking."

"Why are you talking to her?"

Akashi frowned, "We are talking because I wanted to understand something I may lack." Something like that. He was not entirely sure anymore because he felt he lost sight of what was happening.

His father frowned back, "I already raised you into who you are today. What could you be lacking?"

"…An affection of a girlfriend," Akashi blinked, keeping his voice in monotone.

"Then I can simply find other women for you."

"Father, I rather not—"

"Then invite her over," he folded his arms to his chest, leaning on the door with his shoulder. Tilting his head a bit, he told him, "I want to see the type of girl you have been talking to."

Akashi found himself cornered by his own father. This was not he wanted or planned. "She's mad at me right now," Akashi informed him rather ruefully.

His father smirked, as if he knew what his son was capable off. "Then make up, if you're really interested in her," his father advised. Akashi faced away, looking bothered. "Seijuurou, do find some time and let me meet the girl of your choice. This would be your only chance I am willingly to make for you."

"…Yes, father," Akashi flattened his eyes. He had to say it because he did not want his father to pry on his matter anymore than he already was.

"Humph," his father smirked again. "Let me know when you schedule the day to bring her over. I am a very busy man."

"Yes," Akashi nodded, glancing to him. His father leaned away and walked off, his footsteps echoing. '_I can't believe this just happened_,' Akashi made a dry expression on his face. What was he going to do now? He never brought a girl over before. And his father had to phase it as 'his girl of choice'. Akashi was not even certain if Tomimura would even agree to come. She sounded very upset. Maybe he would wait a day or two for her to cool her head. "She would just have to come no matter what," Akashi thought out loud, looking down to the new shoujo series.

Man. What kind of day would that be like when Akashi actually make Tomimura come over to his house? What did he just get himself into?

Akashi moved to stand up, but then suddenly his left eye ached and he closed it as he covered it up with his left hand. Grunting, he moved to the full mirror on the wall across the room. Approaching it, he slowly opened his eye to see what could be wrong. His yellow eye was flickering, but then it was fine again. He pressed his left hand against the mirror and stared at his eye carefully.

Something was wrong.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Yeah, so I made up Akashi's father. …Not sure what else to say in this matter. 8D

Thanks for reading!


	20. We'll Go On A Little… Date…

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 20 was uploaded on December 5, 2013

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 20: We'll Go On A Little… Date…**

Wednesday was a holiday. So Kise was doing another magazine photo shoot. It did not take long and he was already on his way back home. Or should he do something for today? Kise smiled and took his yellow phone, making a phone call to a friend.

"What?" a voice answered a bit annoyingly.

"Senpai!" Kise greeted, moving off to sit on a bench in front of a café. "How have you been doing? Are you studying well in Tokyo U?"

Kasamatsu frowned on the other side and replied, "I'm doing fine. I'm studying very well without you around."

"Geez, you're still bitter," Kise raised an eyebrow. "Say, how are the others? Izuki's your dorm mate too, right?"

There was a long pause. "Everyone's doing fine," Kasamatsu replied, but he sounded a bit strange. Kise blinked and wondered what was wrong. Kasamatsu then inquired, "Didn't someone said Imayoshi-san was attending the same university as I am?"

"Yeah," Kise nodded, even if Kasamatsu did not see his head bobbing up and down. With a smile, he asked, "Did you run into him at all?"

Kasamatsu sighed, "I rather not. I haven't seen him at all though. Not even his shadow. I bet he doesn't even know Izuki-san and I are here either." All the better for him.

Chuckling, Kise's eyes soon caught sight of Tomimura across the street. She looked dead tired and she was carrying grocery bags. "Ah, senpai, I'll call you another time!" Kise quickly smiled, removing the phone away from his ear. He did not hear Kasamatsu and already hung up. Standing up, Kise looked both sides and ran right across the street. "Tomimura!"

She paused in her steps and had a long sigh. He laughed and walked around to meet her face. "…Yes?" she looked up dryly.

"Just saying hi," he chuckled. She frowned and walked around him. He went to her side and they walked together. "What's wrong? Tired from grocery shopping?" And here he thought girls loved to shop. Was shopping for food entirely different?

Tomimura nodded away, "Sure, yeah."

He pouted a bit and really wondered what was wrong with her. "…Oh, how is it going with Akashi-cchi?" he questioned slowly.

"That asshole can die."

Kise's eyes popped wide open, "Eh?! Why would you say that?" Weren't they on good terms or something? What did Akashi do now?

"None of your business," she told him, only looking what was in front of her. She raised her right foot higher and further when she saw a banana split. Kise whined a bit and she did not want to deal with him. "If you're going to talk about Akashi, then get away from me."

"Oh, geez, fine," Kise let out a nervous laugh. "Let's talk about something else." In truth, he was slightly glad she was mad at Akashi. Yes, he was his friend, but Kise could not help but grin now. With a pause, thinking at the same time, he winked, "Next week is Momoi-cchi's birthday. We're thinking about throwing a surprise party for her. You want to come too?"

She sighed right away and looked at him in the eye. He looked almost happy when she gazed to him. "Kise-san, just how long are you going to make me feel awkward, inviting me to such random events?" she inquired, hinting a tone of annoyance. First it was mixers and now a surprise party?

He smiled, "It's not random. It's Momoi-cchi's birthday."

"Then I must decline," Tomimura gave him a bored look. "I don't even know her that well. It'll be weird."

"No, it won't," he grinned happily. "She'd be happy to have more girls attend at her party if all of you came."

"I said no," she turned her eyes away rather coldly. "I'm already done with your mixers. Don't bother me EVER again."

Kise stopped walking when her harsh words had no warmth in them. He watched her walk alone and he hoped she would look back. But she never did and eventually disappeared behind a store at a corner. '…_Why did I lie_?' Kise rubbed his face and was somewhat relieved. But he felt a bit pain. '_What would I have done when there never was a surprise birthday party for Momoi-cchi_?' He really, really just wanted to spend more time with Tomimura. But she was really hard to get together with. He did not wish to convince her too much either.

And she seriously looked mad when he mentioned about Akashi. What could have happened?

\o~o/

When Tomimura got home, she put her grocery away rather slowly. She did not bother to play music in the kitchen and eventually was finished putting everything in place. She stood next to the island and her eyes stared out blankly. '…_Sorry, Kise_,' she thought. Perhaps she was a little mean to him. She realized she did not wish for him to be hurt in anyway. She rather wanted to see him smile.

Her phone vibrated in her bag that was placed on the island earlier. She took it out a bit depressingly and looked the blue tape around her phone. She actually did not mean to harm it because she still needed to stay in contact with her friends. At least it was still working. When she saw Akashi was calling, she groaned as she rolled her eyes. It was Monday night when they talked and they did not call each other yesterday. Not once. What did he want now? So annoying.

Tomimura decided to ignore him and held her phone in her hand, staring at it. When the call stopped, he called again. Tomimura stared with boredom and wondered how long he was going to try and call her. He did it again… and again. She blinked and felt as though he knew she was there. '_Then he can just wait longer_,' she lightly glared at her phone.

After a few minutes, he did not stop. Tomimura curiously wondered what he wanted. As if he would apologize to her. She did not need it. Though, what if he already knew that she did not care about an apology and had something else to say? Tomimura sighed and gave in. She answered it pressed the phone to her ear. And said no greeting or any words.

Akashi's first sentence was, "My father said he wanted to meet with you."

There was a long pause between the two of them. Tomimura looked around, trying to understand what he just said. "Why? We're not even dating," she told him tilting her head. "We're not even friends."

"There's no way around," Akashi told her. Sounded like he was outside because she could hear the wind. "He simply wants to know what kind of a person you are."

Tomimura was even more puzzled. How did his father even know about her? Did Akashi talk about her? That was so strange. Very strange. "You like to judge people," she narrowed her eyes, moving to lean back on the island. "You should have explained enough to him about me already."

"He'd rather see the person with his own eyes."

"Huh, even your dad has his complex, huh?"

"I can pay you to come to Kyoto on this coming Sunday."

She opened her mouth with a dry face, "Are you kidding me?" She was still upset about him and she was a bit surprised she had not curse at him yet.

"I'm quite serious," he said. His voice was just as 'serious' as it sounded.

Tomimura frowned, "And like I said before, we're not dating. We're simply… we're… uh…" She blinked, wondering what she wanted to say. "I still don't like you right now. There's no way I'm seeing you."

He ignored her, "…Then let's go on a date. Afterwards, we can see him together."

She suddenly wanted to kill him for dismissing what she just stated. "No, Akashi," she said.

"Tomimura, I'm not going to repeat myself."

She wanted to kick something, but prevented herself by biting her lower lip. "Akashi, you can't control my actions. And I hate—" He hung up and left her hanging with a irritated glare. "You have GOT to be kidding! You call me and then hang up! GAHH!" She closed her cell phone with care and placed it on the table as gently as possible. "_Ba_-kashi, _Ba_-kashi, _Ba_-kashi!" she ranted, pacing around in the kitchen.

Just ten minutes later, she cooled her head while sitting on the couch. Her cell phone was in her hand and she seemed to be waiting. When it vibrated, she picked it up without looking at the ID caller. "Tomimura, I want you to come to Kyoto," Akashi quietly said.

Another long pause. At the same time as she was doing it on purpose, she was actually considering it. She smiled a bit and said, "But we're not in that phase yet."

"Just do it," he told her. His voice was a bit different now. And she was actually feeling happy to hear it. Was she really happy? "I'll send you the train schedule for Sunday and I'll come pick you up when you arrive. Then we'll go on a little… date…"

Tomimura felt tears behind her eyes and she nodded. "Hm," she mumbled. They both were quiet and she grabbed her pillow and hugged it. Her chest tightened and she felt butterflies in her stomach. It felt so weird. "…Can you promise me something first?"

"I won't hurt your friends again."

She closed her eyes and a smile spread across her face. "…Okay," she said. "I'll see you on Sunday."

Another pause. "…How was your day today?" he inquired.

There was only one thing that came to her mind. "…I think I hurt Kise-san's feelings," she grumbled with regret. "So… I should probably apologize to him."

"Oh? What did you say to him?"

Tomimura cringed a bit, "…I told him not to bother me ever again."

She heard Akashi sneering for a split second and she frowned. "That's good," he told her. She blinked and could not believe, yet again, what he was saying. "Ryouta should know his place. Because we're dating now."

"Okay, I'm done talking to you," she flatly said, hanging up right away. Wearing a small blush, she shook her head. "Akashi is still Akashi…"

\o~o/

On the balcony, Akashi closed his phone and calmly stared at the horizon. He was at the backyard of his father's big house. The green field was wide and a couple of paths were looping across it. Though he was not smiling, he was at ease to have been able to talk to her again. To hear her voice again. And now they would go on a little date on Sunday. What would she wear? Not that he would care, but his father might just do.

Akashi grunted in pain, leaning forward and his hand pressing his left eye. He lightly glared to himself and tried not to think about the sting that ached like a heartbeat.

* * *

**Author's note**: Sorry for the short chapter… Oh, and their little date will be in chapter 22 (NOT in the next update/chapter).

Thanks for reading!


	21. I'll Be One Of Your Best Friends!

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 21 was uploaded on December 8, 2013

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 21: I'll Be One Of Your Best Friends!**

_This month's round will have to cancel. Recently, suspicions are rising within the police force. Bullets, leave all of your guns behind for your own safety. Standby and be prepared when we resume the second round next month_. It was a text message from their boss.

Right away, Seki deleted her text after reading it and closed her dark green cell phone. Today was the second day of May and Seki was spending her afternoon with Yamauchi in the same jewelry store. Koizumi was working here today too, but she had gone to the bathroom while another girl was working at the cashier register. Yamauchi was poking at the single white-feathered necklace. She smiled at the item and then Seki pushed up her glasses. "Yamauchi, check your phone," she told her.

Yamauchi looked at her quickly, "Eh?" Seki just shook her head and Yamauchi took her blue cell phone out from her sky blue purse. But then it vibrated and she saw it was from Kagami. She smiled and answered it quickly, "Hello, Kagami?" Heaving a sigh, Seki's eyes turned to the necklace Yamauchi was touching before.

"Uh…" Kagami uttered from the other side of the call. Yamauchi smiled wider and walked her right slowly. "I heard from Kuroko that Aomine seemed interested in a friend of yours."

"Oh, ahaha," Yamauchi beamed happily. "Really…? I wonder who?"

"Aomine didn't say. But it seems like a fake rumor to me, so I'm not sure."

Giggling, Yamauchi happily requested, "Go ask him then. Don't worry, it'll be our secret!"

Seki was still staring at the feathered necklace. She folded her arms to her chest as Yamauchi was chatting away from the phone with Kagami. Her eyes were emotionless and she waited for her friend to be done. '_I hope she's not forgetting how important it is to be a Bullet_,' Seki thought to herself. She was worried for Yamauchi because her friend seemed too into her life outside of 'work'. But that was not the only thing that ran through Seki's mind.

"Kagami-kun, please?" Yamauchi politely pleaded. She was very interested, even if she had not seen Aomine before. The idea of his friend being interested in her friend made her excited. "Maybe you can even ask one of Aomine's close friends?"

Kagami snorted, "Sure, I'll try. But I doubt Aomine would even tell Momoi himself."

"Take your time," Yamauchi nodded to herself. "…Oh, are you going to come and see us again during summer vacation?"

"Oh, Kise said something about that," Kagami seemed to just recall. "Where are we going to meet again?"

"It wasn't decided yet."

Kagami quickly said, "Sure, I'll be there. I think Momoi wanted to go too, so Kuroko would probably come along."

"That's good to hear!" Yamauchi smiled, blushing a bit. "…Do you remember we're going to play Spin the Bottle?" There was a long pause and Yamauchi blinked a couple of times. "…Kagami-kun?"

"Ah, crap!" he sighed heavily. "I completely forgot about that!"

Yamauchi giggled. She knew he had forgotten. "Then you don't have to come," she blushed, feeling timid. But she did want him to come. She wanted to see his face again, even though she did not wish to lose her first kiss in such a game. '_Oh_,' that just gave her an idea.

Kagami mumbled a few words shyly before clearly saying, "Uh… yeah… I'll come. I already sort of… promised just now."

"Okay!" Yamauchi smiled widely, her heart beating. The two of them had a long silence and she closed her eyes with a blush. "Kagami-kun… have you ever kissed anyone before?"

The phone ruffled and dropped on the floor loudly. Yamauchi slightly moved the phone away and nervously waited until he was ready to answer. The phone moved around and she could hear his voice stuttering. "I—Uh, well…" he started to fake a cough and she pressed the phone to her ear again.

Seki glanced over to them, noticing Yamauchi was in her own world. It sounded like Yamauchi was waiting for Kagami to answer her and Seki slowly walked over to them quietly and curiously.

"…No," Kagami replied, his voice calming down. "I never… kissed anyone…"

"Heh," Yamauchi smiled faintly. Her face felt even warmer. Then she whispered, "Kagami-kun… I… um… can we kiss over the phone?" Again, the phone dropped on his end as Yamauchi blushed really hard. She covered half of her warm face with her hand with embarrassment.

\o~o/

Kagami picked up his phone from the ground with a shameful frown. He was in his bedroom, doing homework at his desk. When he put his phone to his left ear, he could not utter a single word. She was waiting for him, so he had to say something. …Something! Moving his right arm up on the desk, his mouth buried into his palm. '_Aren't we moving too fast_?' he asked himself, trying hard not to be blunt. But he really wanted to say it. What were her thoughts about all of this?

The two of them were only talking on the phone for two weeks. He made attempt to call her regularly since he had her number. She even called him herself every now and then. While he talked about basketball, she responded she went to study them a bit and shared his interest. Sounded like she was trying hard to get to know him. But she never talked about what she liked, even if he tried to hint it.

"Um," Kagami's eyelids lowered a bit.

Yamauchi then spoke, "I like my first kiss to be with you…" She laughed uneasily for a second. "Even though it's virtually, but…"

He blushed and could not find his words. Not a single one again. Becoming frustrated with himself, he found himself asking, "Do you… like me?" His eyes widened and he greatly regretted asking. She was very quiet and it was killing him. Smiling a bit, he told her, "Yeah… we'll kiss… virtually…"

She giggled quietly, "Okay. On count to three…?"

Kagami prepared himself mentally, "Yeah." His hand ran through is hair.

"…One… two…" Saying 'three' in his head, Kagami pressed his lips to the mic of his phone. But soon Yamauchi surprisingly cried, "Seki-chan?"

\o~o/

Seki had taken the phone into her hand and frowned to Yamauchi's pouting lips. "Kagami, sorry, give me a second," Seki hung up on him. Before Yamauchi could ask what was wrong, Seki quickly said, "You have a text message from work. Hurry and read it first."

"Oh?" Yamauchi blinked. Seki handed her phone back and she took it. While she was looking up her text messages, Seki looked away and sighed heavily. "I see," Yamauchi deleted the message and closed her phone. She smiled nervously and seemed worried because Seki seemed upset. "Seki-chan, sorry about that." Yamauchi understood Seki took her work seriously and with pride, so she was not angry with her friend.

"No, it's fine," Seki pushed up her glasses, turning away. "I'm going to head home now. Don't be here for too long."

Yamauchi followed her closely and smiled, "No, we'll walk home together!"

Seki did not look to her and they both exited the store. "…I'm sorry, but I need to be alone, Yamauchi," Seki said, walking to the left and hurrying.

"Ah, Seki-chan?" Yamauchi blinked, taking a few steps. But Seki waved and continued at the same pace. "Okay then…"

Heading to the corner, Seki kept on walking fast. '_I keep forgetting how it feels like to be hurt when I like someone_,' Seki thought to herself. Gripping on her black bag on her shoulder, she ran faster.

She never told anyone she liked anybody before. And most of them were always girls that she took interest in. No one would care about Seki's feelings, even if she confessed. Because she was girl who liked a girl. No one ever cared about that. Even if Seki ended up feeling damaged because of her unrequited love, she would be fine sooner or later. '…_But it really hurts_,' she told herself, slowing down to drag her feet. If she told Yamauchi her feelings, it might only make her friend feel awkward.

After a short time, Seki stopped herself the moment she almost bumped into someone. She backed away and fixed her expression, looking up to apologize. "Sorry," she did not look at him long. All she saw was his short black hair, shaded with green, and some bangs were over above his right eye. Seki hurried to pick up her pace again and merely wanted to head back home.

Little did she know he was a former teammate of Kise, Moriyama Yoshitaka. He was actually watching her run off, sensing she was very upset about something. So he shouted, "You want to go out for ice cream?" But she kept running and he blinked. Not that she was cute, but seeing a girl with a troubled face worried him.

Moriyama finally turned around and resumed walking. He was just taking a walk and maybe run into cute girls and have them fall for him. His mind ran wild with the idea and he just never got tired of doing the same thing every other day.

Time passed and Moriyama suddenly caught sight of Kise inside a jewelry store. "Hm?" Moriyama quickly walked to the window. Kise was bothering a young girl with red-ish brown hair and she appeared to be very bothered. And Moriyama could hear Kise whining too. '_What is he doing now_?' Moriyama thought, walking to the door.

The moment he opened it, Kise cried, "But Tomimura doesn't want me to bother her anymore! Please tell her how much I miss her!"

With a frown, Koizumi pointed her needle close to his eyes. Kise backed away quickly and she said, "You're banned from coming here on Saturdays, Kise." She only worked part time on this day and she hated how he showed up to trouble her with his pain.

"Koizumi!" Kise whined, rubbing his face in frustration. She went back to sewing, failing to notice a new customer arrived.

"Kise, what's wrong?"

The blonde blinked, flinching. He smiled brightly and turned around to see Moriyama right in front of him. "Senpai! You have to help me!" Kise exclaimed, tugging Moriyama's sleeve.

"If you introduce me to girls, then I will," Moriyama nodded, staring blankly. What was getting Kise so worked up about?

Koizumi then spoke, "Kise just got back from two mixers and I don't think he can do any more for the rest of the month."

Moriyama gasped and Kise backed away with a nervously laugh. "Kise, you didn't even think to _invite_ me along?" Moriyama pointed to blonde's chest. He was very saddened and rather upset. Just how many times have Moriyama requested Kise to get girls for a mixer? It had been a whole year since he last told Kise too.

"But, you're busy on Sundays!" Kise countered as innocently as possible.

"I can always skip work!" Moriyama sighed to himself, very disappointed. "You owe me!"

Kise pouted, "Okay, fine, but you have to help me!"

There was a pause and Moriyama gave in. He looked to the blonde seriously. "What happened?" he questioned, being the senpai he was.

"I got this girl mad and she said not to bother her ever again."

Moriyama blinked, "…That's a… first…" That was what bothering Kise? Whining again, Kise turned around and around in frustration. Moriyama then inquired, "If you're fussing over a single girl… do you like her that much?"

Kise paused and avoided eye contact. Koizumi looked up from her sewing and she stared at the two of them suspiciously. Kise turned to grab Moriyama's arm and dragged him out of the store in no time. "Shh!" Kise hissed as the store door closed behind them. "Don't say that out loud! That girl in there is her friend!"

With a smile, Moriyama said, "That's also a first too, to see you acting like this." What kind of girl was she, to make Kise look desperate?

The blonde frowned, rubbing his face over again. "Maybe I asked the wrong people…"

Moriyama looked offended, "Hey, just wait a sec…"

From the counter in the store, Koizumi was trying to read the guys' lips. Kise was pulling on his own hair and tugging his friend's arm back and forth. Moriyama quickly pointed to him and said something with an excited smile. '…_Kise likes Tomimura, huh_?' Koizumi thought to herself with an expressionless face.

Koizumi reached for her phone under the counter and dialed away. Putting the phone to her left ear, she waited. It was just after the third tone and someone picked up. "Koizumi?" Tomimura's voice came on.

"I just wanted to let you know, Kise is here at my other work," Koizumi notified her. "He was complaining about how to make up to you and talk to you again."

Tomimura heaved a sigh, "…I'll come over right away. Sorry if he's bothering you about all of this."

"I'm glad that you know," Koizumi nodded, looking down to her sewing project. She ended up making a red heart shape. She was using white strings now and wanted to make wings around the heart. "You should come over right now."

"Oh, I was already outside," Tomimura told her. "I was planning to visit you too. It'll take me another three minutes, actually."

Koizumi blinked. '_How convenient and thoughtful of you_,' she mentally stated.

\o~o/

"Do you think that would really work?" Moriyama sighed, slapping his own face.

He pouted, "Of course! I don't care what I do as long as I am true to her! I want to talk to her again!"

Moriyama shook his head at him. "And here I thought I was the silly one," he shrugged to him. He still cannot believe how Kise was reacting. So much drama Kise was creating for himself too. Moriyama cannot see how peaceful this would be. When Moriyama looked to Kise again, he spotted a young girl walking to him as if she was going to say something.

"What?" Kise looked at him, confused. And then he turned to look over his shoulder, his eyes widened when he saw Tomimura. At least, she did not look mad. When she was close enough, Kise faced over to her right away. "Tomimura!" Kise said, almost shouting. She flinched at the tone of his voice and he rushed to meet with her. She stopped walking and stared at him strangely. He wanted to so badly hold her hands when he stopped right in front of her, but he kept his hands to himself. "From now on, I'll be one of your best friends!"

"What, no," she quickly told him off. This was not something she wanted to talk about. How crazy was he going to get anyway?

Tears were in his eyes, "But I like you so much! Please, let's be best friends!"

When he slowly moved to hug her, she hurried to dodge his open arms. Annoyed and glaring, she asked, "Can't we just be simple friends?"

He turned to her and held in a pout. "But best friends do a lot of stuff together," he said, gesturing his hands around that made no sense or whatsoever. "I want to get to know you more too!"

"Kise, shut up," she slapped her face, shaking her head at the same time. "For one, your fans will be after me. Don't you have a guy who's a best friend already?"

With a sigh, he gave her a depressed look. "I can have more than one best friend," he answered, slightly complaining.

"I don't want a 'best' friend, Kise," she looked at him in the eye, saying it loud and clear. She really did not need one either. What in the world got him to think like that anyway? When Kise was going to say something, she said first, "I don't want another best friend, okay?"

With a blink, he stared back at her. "…Why not?" he inquired. "It's good to have a lot of friends. And best friends."

Tomimura groaned as she looked away. Her chest ached and she rubbed her face in frustration. "I don't want to lose a friend. Let alone a best friend. So, it's harder to see them go."

Growing quiet, Kise wondered what she meant. But then concluding the tone of her shaky voice and her struggling expression together, it hit him. Tomimura took in a deep breath and leaned back a pole that was in the way. "…You won't lose me," he smiled gently. "So you don't have to be afraid of getting close, Tomimura."

She glanced to him and narrowed her eyes. "No," she said one more time. And she made sure it was the last one with a determined voice. The light in Kise's eyes was flickering and he looked like someone backstabbed him. Tomimura turned her eyes away from him and tried to be strong about it. "Look, Kise, I'm here to say, I'm sorry about being unkind before. We can still talk… like how we used to. We don't have to be best friends."

Moriyama walked up behind her, "Can I be a friend too?"

Tomimura raised an eyebrow and looked to the tall man. He was smiling and she fixed her eyes on Kise again. "A friend of yours?" she questioned.

Nodding quickly, Kise replied, "Yeah. This is Moriyama Yoshitaka. Senpai, this is Tomimura Mizuki."

"Please to meet you," Moriyama quickly faced to her directly and held out his hand. Tomimura blinked at him and took his hand, shaking it firmly. "You're very soft." She retreated her hand with a light glare and Kise chuckled awkwardly.

In the store, Koizumi walked to the window and glanced to them. It seemed like they were getting along now. Koizumi sighed with relieved. '_There, everything solved_,' she moved to head back to the counter with the cash register. But Koizumi got the strangest feeling this would continue again in the future.

* * *

**Author's note**: As a reminder, this fanfic is about GoM x OCs. Not Akashi x Tomimura. I'm saying this because lately that's what I felt from the reviews. It was like a sign for me to get better in writing about the other characters and let them have some spotlight as well. And that, I will do!

Thanks for reading!


	22. You Belong To Me

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 22 was uploaded on December 9, 2013

**Author's IMPORTANT note**: ...EVERYONE! I learned something from the recent reviews! Kagami had been kissed before! DX I updated right on the next day, so please forgive me for not knowing. So... my excuse is... Kagami lied... because maybe he was too shy. Yes, that is what I have decided. Sounds reasonable to me! But if that sounds wrong, I will go back and change that scene or something. Just let me know if this bothers you.

Enjoy reading!

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 22: You Belong To Me**

Tomimura regretted keeping her date with Akashi a secret. Because she had no idea what to wear. She should have asked Sakai, Moto, or even Fukui to pick out an outfit. The moment Tomimura left the train, she hid behind a pillar as soon as she spotted Akashi at the entrance. He had just got there and Tomimura frowned at herself as she leaned against the pillar with her back. She was just wearing a plain, tight black T-shirt and faded dark ruby pants. She was still carrying her dark blue bag, but she left her gun behind like her boss warned.

"What's wrong?"

She flinched by his tone. Akashi placed his hand above them on the pillar and his head leaned forward to peek at her. Putting on a poker face, she turned her head away from his eyes. "Nothing," she mumbled. She was hiding because she was not ready for this. Her heart was not ready one bit.

"…Do you want to ride the limo or the horse?"

Her eyes moved to fix on his gaze. She blinked and squinted her eyes with confusion. "Are you rich?" she inquired.

Akashi went around the pillar and faced her fully. His head gestured to the entrance, "Pick a ride," he told her, ignoring her question.

Tomimura had a moment of silence. "…Can you ride a horse too?" she asked, a bit surprised. He nodded and she was even more stunned. "Didn't know that." His eyes narrowed, reminding her of his question and she quickly said, "Horse." Better than being stuck in a vehicle with him. When he turned around to walk off, she followed him closely, "Wait, we're going to ride horses to your house or something?" That was so crazy. What in the world was going on in his head?

"Of course," Akashi slightly looked over his shoulder to her. She walked by his side and their arms bumped against each other softly. "But let's go and grab lunch before we meet my father."

She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. Looking around as they exited, she saw people were crowding around a white limo and a white horse. And there was only one horse. Akashi pressed forward and Tomimura loudly queried, "Why is there a single horse here, Akashi?" Her heart raced as if she already knew the answer.

With his hands reaching to the saddle, Akashi pulled himself up and sat on the back of the horse. He directed his gaze to her and she seemed upset. "What do you think?" he had a faint trace of smile.

Tomimura cursed in her mind and could not believe what he was temping to do. "Never mind, I want the limo," she pointed to the vehicle with wheels, glaring to his calm expression.

"You shouldn't go back on your words," he told her, staring seriously. She lowered her pointed finger and hissed a couple of words to herself. Akashi held out his hand and uttered, "Come, Tomimura."

People were looking at them while they walked to tend to their own business. Giving in into his demanding gaze, Tomimura stomped her feet as she walked to him. Her right hand took his hand and he pulled her up as she moved to sit behind him. Her hands grabbed his shoulders and the horse did not move. "…Are we going or not?" Tomimura frowned.

"You should put your arms around my waist first," he said, not looking back to her. "Do you want to fall?"

"I'll be fine!" she whispered loudly with a blush.

With his right hand, he let go the reins and grabbed her right hand on his shoulder. He placed her arm around his waist and she tried to pull her hand out of his grip. "We're not going to go fight over this," he said, his eyes over his shoulder.

She still refused and tried to get her hand back. Akashi rolled his eyes and moved to get off the horse. She blinked when his feet touched the ground. And the moment he moved up again, she cried, "Oh, hell no! No way!"

Tomimura tried to push him off, but he easily forced himself to sit behind her. He took the reins and she was between his arms. Her ears turned red and he felt her moving uncomfortably with her back against his chest. "Sit still," he told her, sending a chill at the base of her neck. So she stopped moving and just mentally cursed in her head.

The limo drove off as the white horse moved on Akashi's signal. After ten steps, Akashi shook the reins and the horse begun pacing down the street. "This is absurd," Tomimura mumbled, feeling really hot with him so close to her. "You must be so rich to ride horses in the city."

"My father's the one who's rich," he clarified. "Not me."

"Same thing," she grumbled. They were heading off to a more private district. Or so it seemed to Tomimura. "Wait, can't we just eat at a normal restaurant? Don't take me out to something expensive."

Akashi blinked and slowed the horse. "If that's what you prefer," he said, turning the horse around. They went off again as people stared while Akashi was thinking about something. He never dated before. Even if he studied online to see what kind of dates he should do with her, he was not entirely sure if she would like it. So he inquired, "What do you want do to after lunch?"

"I want to ride on horse by myself," she flatly said.

He agreed, "Very well. We can horse ride together after lunch."

With a sigh, she sarcastically said, "Yay, how exciting." Tomimura felt awkward at how he was listening to her. He was demanding just a few minutes ago. '_Seriously, what goes through _Ba_-kashi's mind_?' she frowned.

\o~o/

In the middle of lunch, where they both were eating inside of restaurant of a private room, the two of them did not talk to each other. They just ate quietly. While Tomimura did not seem interested to start up a conversation, Akashi was simply thinking about what to talk about. This was his chance to get to know her. That was what dates were for, was it not?

"Will you tell me about your game that you're playing?"

Tomimura's fork was in midair and she paused as the pasta fell back on her plate. Akashi was using chopsticks to eat his pasta and his eyes were staring at her. However, she avoided his intense look. "…Akashi, I'm not allowed to talk about it," she replied, going back to eating. Of all questions, this was what he asked? Tomimura had begun to have doubts for him again.

He continued to watch her using her fork. A few seconds later he said with observation, "You don't know how to use chopsticks?"

She choked on her food and pounded on her chest. Snapping her eyes at him, he had a small smirk. "What about it?" she had to glare. It was something she rather not talked about either.

"I noticed the first day we've meet," he went back to his food. They were eating in that Chinese restaurant together. "We all used chopsticks, but you did not use yours."

Tomimura blushed with embarrassment, "So what?"

Hearing her eating quickly, his eyes slowly watched her again. Her red face was rather cute. Maybe he should continue to push that button a little more. "Seki mentioned weakness was good on that very same day too," he brought up. "Improve your chopsticks skills and you'll brag in no time."

"But they're hard to use and it's annoying," she narrowed her eyes, poking her fork into her food.

Akashi suppressed a chuckle, "…You'll learn eventually."

She lifted her eyes to him and he went back to eat his lunch. His words sounded encouraging and she smiled to herself. '_He's still a weirdo though_,' she thought to herself.

\o~o/

The day seemed to have gone by quickly. Akashi took her to his place where more horses were. She got upset, saying he purposely only grabbed one horse to 'pick' her up. Soon afterwards, she chose a black-furred horse and got up to ride it. While Akashi rode away, Tomimura followed him and they both speeded up, riding the horses in the backyard, which amazed her. His father must be really rich and it made her felt uncomfortable about what kind of man Akashi's father was.

Akashi was riding ahead of her and glanced back. She did not force herself to keep up with him so he slowed down a bit. "When did you learn how to ride a horse?" he questioned when they were side by side.

The horses slowed down as they begun another conversation. Tomimura shrugged, "Not sure. But dad let me ride a pony when I was kid, he said."

"…That reminds me," Akashi made eye contact with her. She returned a quiet look. "Why do you live alone? Why do you sleep in the living room?" The couch she slept on looked worn out from her body laying there, he noticed. So he knew she was only sleeping there. And the two bedroom doors in the house were closed shut, though not suspicious… Akashi felt something was amiss.

Tomimura rolled her eyes when he asked her. "I thought you were smart," she only replied, softly kicking the horse forward. She did not feel like talking about it.

He watched her go for a second and took the reins to tell his horse to walk faster. Grunting, she kicked the horse again to go faster. Akashi soon followed her closely and the two horses ran side by side. She smiled to herself and glanced to him. He looked back to her and watched the wind in her hair. If it were longer, she would seem very elegant.

At the big house, Akashi's father was watching them from the balcony. His arms were folded to his chest and his observant eyes only on Tomimura's figure. And he did not seem pleased about something.

\o~o/

"My father went out?" Akashi narrowed his eyes. He and Tomimura were in the lobby of the house and two maids were standing in front of them. "Did he say anything?"

The maid on the right, with short brown hair, replied, "No."

Akashi grunted and looked back to Tomimura, who blinked. "…If he's not here, what do you want to do now?" he inquired.

"I want to go home," Tomimura quickly answered with a dry look on her face. There was no way she would want to meet his father so soon. She was too nervous for that. Akashi silently stared at her and she slowly returned a look. "Seriously. I want to go home."

"Very well," he said. She was a bit surprised, but relieved at the same time. "But I'm dropping you off." He walked passed her and she turned around to him. "Horse or limo?"

"Limo," she picked right away, following him.

As the two of them left the house, Akashi wondered about his father. It made no sense. He would never just leave like that after telling him to bring Tomimura over. An issue must have rose. And Akashi had a feeling what it could be. When the limo pulled up in the front, Akashi opened the door for Tomimura first. She walked right in and he went after her. Closing the door, the limo soon took off.

"I don't think I could ever live in such a big house," Tomimura commented. She let out a sigh, leaning back on the seat.

He looked over to her. She had gone to sit all the way on the other side. Not bothering to move in his seat to be closer to her, he queried, "Is that why you live in such a small house?"

Giving him a flat expression, she replied, "Not really. But really, your house too big. And I rather not get involved with people like you… I sense drama."

"…Are you saying you don't want to date again?" he questioned, resting his elbows on his knees. His eyes were still on her.

Tomimura blinked at him and she had a long pause. He stared at her and waited for her response. "You want to date again?" she looked away awkwardly. Her hands felt warm and she tired to remain composed. When she heard him moving over to her, she snapped her head instantly, "Don't come over here!"

He kept a foot distance from her and his eyes fixed on her gaze. "Don't you want to go on another date?" he inquired. She backed away again as she glared at him and then her head softly hit the car behind her head. Her eyes averted and she refused to reply. Akashi received a strange feeling from her and his thoughts lead him to Kise. "So, did you make up with Ryouta?" he inquired, lowering his voice.

"Uh, yeah," she nodded. She was glad he changed the subject.

"What did you two talk about?"

She looked out the window, feeling pressured by him, even if he was not anywhere near to her. "Nothing… but he said the most stupidest thing on earth," she cracked a smile. "Something about being best friends…"

Akashi narrowed his eyes at her relaxed face. As he turned his head away, he calmly had a long train of thoughts. Tomimura was quiet herself and she enjoyed the silence. The limo stopped and drove and made turns. Soon afterwards, she saw the train station up ahead. Akashi then inched closer to her and grabbed arm and pulled her.

"What are you—"

He opened his mouth down to the right side of her neck, but then she pushed him away and his teeth did not have the chance to touch her. Forcefully pulling her again, his right arm locking her in place and his left hand tilted her head to give him room. And then he sunk his teeth on her neck and began to suck on it.

"Akashi?!" she winced. Her hands tried to slip out of his arm, but she failed to even wiggle out of it. His teeth hurt her and he continued to suck. "Stop it!" she yelled, her right foot kicking back against his own.

The limo stopped. Letting go, Akashi slightly cringed from the shock of the pain in his leg. Tomimura pushed him away harshly and touched the right side of her neck where it stung. She felt his saliva too and wiped it on the seat beside her, glaring at him. He smiled and said, "Remember. You _belong_ to me. That seal there proves it."

Tomimura could not believe he gave her a hickey and her mind was just blank. And clearly she was upset. She turned to open the door and ran out of there with her bag in hand. The train station was close enough, so she ran off, placing her hand onto where he bit her. '_Damn it, how dare he_?!' she thought bitterly. '_How am I going to go home like this_?!' She was too ashamed and if her friends found out, they would tease about it. Tomimura did not want that! She started to plan to skip school tomorrow and cover the hickey up with something and leave all of her windows and doors locked to prevent anyone from finding out.

The redhead watched her go after closing the door. He softly snickered and hoped she would get home back safely. As the limo drove off, he licked his lips and recalled the taste of her soft flesh. '_So that's how you make a hickey_,' he thought with satisfaction.

\o~o/

When Akashi headed back home, entering through the lobby, his eyes caught sight of his father drinking tea in the living room. Akashi narrowed his eyes and walked toward him and stopped at the coffee table. They both were quiet and the maids left the room to give them privacy. "Father," Akashi stared at him emotionlessly. "Care to explain why you lied about leaving?"

His father set the white teacup down and closed his eyes. Leaning back in the single chair, he slowly looked to his son with his eyes that showed more superiority. "Seijuurou, you're not allowed to talk or go near that girl," he told him. Akashi's eyes widened a bit. "Do you understand?"

"What's the matter with Tomimura?" Akashi inquired, setting his hand on the sofa next to him.

"You know about her very well, don't you?" his father leaned his chin onto his fist. Akashi was quiet and only stared right back at him seriously. "She is not suited for you, my son. And she is carrying a sin I do not know of. You two are not meant for each other. It will never work out."

Akashi's eyes glared and he felt his left eye aching again. "I…"

His father interrupted, "You two only just started to talk. This is the right time to stop yourself before you fall too deep." There was silence between them. Akashi did not look away and kept searching in his father's eyes for the truth. "Delete her from your call list." Akashi's eyes widened again. "When you delete it, that is your promise to me you will never talk to her again." Akashi did not move. "Seijuurou. Get your phone out of your pocket. Delete her. _Now_."

His body obeyed and Akashi reached for his red cell phone and took it out slowly. His eyes lowered as he opened it and went to the call list section. Tomimura's name was highlighted, but he did not press the delete button. Akashi's mind was caught between two forces and he hesitated. His father. Or Tomimura. Who would he choose? He knew his father the longest and his father had been supportive and given attention to Akashi when he was young. As for Tomimura, Akashi only just known her for three weeks. Exactly three weeks.

"_Seijuurou_."

Akashi pressed a button and watched as Tomimura's name disappeared from the small screen.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

XD


	23. I'll Pretend This Is Your First Favor

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 23 was uploaded on December 13, 2013

**Author's note**: Does anyone check my profile from time to time? Because I write my 'current status' on there. I had this 'life crisis' and I don't think I will be writing as often as I liked. But I will dedicate all of my free time to write as much as I can. Thank you for reading!

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 23: I'll Pretend This Is Your First Favor**

Tomimura was mad at Akashi for leaving a hickey on her. So she never called him. And he never called either. She was glad, but then she realized it was also strange. Maybe something came up. Kise mentioned about Inter-High, so maybe Akashi was just busy. So Tomimura tried not to think about it too much. And it had been almost two weeks ever since.

Today was the first day of preliminaries for Inter-High. The very first rounds were taking place all over Japan. Tomimura, Yamauchi, Fukui, and Moto were visiting Tokyo because Yamauchi wanted to cheer for Kagami. How devoted she was, all the girls thought. It was after school and they were heading their way to Seirin High, where the first round was taking place. And while they were just a block away from the school's entrance…

"Yamauchi, Tomimura!" Momoi called rather excitingly. The four girls turned their heads and saw Momoi jogging ahead of Aomine. "You girls came too?"

"Yeah," Yamauchi nodded, smiling cheerfully. Moto and Fukui both grinned when Aomine frowned. Momoi stopped in front of the girls and looked to the unfamiliar faces. "Oh, Momoi-chan, over here are my friends from the other mixer. Moto-chan and Fukui-chan."

"Hiya," Fukui winked. "Fukui Kotone."

"Momoi Satsuki," she regarded her, then her eyes moving over to the taller girl

"And I'm Moto Shizuka!" the tall girl jumped to hug Momoi. The two of them lost a bit of balance and twirled for a split second. The pink haired girl blinked and smiled awkwardly. Their chests were pushed up together and Aomine was staring particularly at it when he reached to them. "Oh my gosh, Momoi-chan feels sooooo comfortable!" Moto chirped with a giggle. "Hello, new friend!"

While Moto was squeezing tighter, everyone was just watching. Momoi laughed uneasily and gently tried to push her away. Moto laughed, purposely shoving themselves over now. But then Aomine grabbed Momoi's wrist and easily pulled them back up. "Hey, stop holding onto Satsuki like that," Aomine scowled at Moto's rash action.

"Hmm?" Fukui blinked, looking up to him.

"Sa~tsu~ki?" Moto grinned, glancing to Aomine. Letting Momoi go, Moto walked up to face him closely. "Aomine-san called Momoi-chan by her first name? I'm shocked!" she grinned. Though, she did not look shocked at all.

Aomine grunted, rolling his eyes at her. "We're just childhood friends," he clarified and sounded irritated. "Don't get the wrong idea."

"Yeah, Aomine-kun and I aren't like that," Momoi smiled, putting her arms behind her.

"Oh ho ho," Fukui smirked. Aomine and Momoi blinked to Fukui, who chuckled. "But didn't Aomine-tan mentioned he like girls with big boobs?"

"He what?" Tomimura dryly looked to the tall guy. He must be very bold to state that in the second mixer.

Moto suddenly smiled and jumped to face at Tomimura and Yamauchi. "You girls don't know him, right?" she beamed. "This is Aomine Daiki!" Both girls nodded and Moto twirled around to smile at Aomine. "Aomine-san, these are our friends, Tomimura Mizuki and Yamauchi Takara!" she pointed back to her two friends as she said their names.

"Uh-huh," he looked bored, nodding away to her. "Anyway, we should go in soon. I don't want to stand around here forever." Aomine told the girls, walking around them first.

"Oh yes, Kagami-kun," Yamauchi smiled, remembering about Inter-High. She turned around next and hurried off as well.

As everyone all went in together, they all headed to the second floor to watch the basketball court from above. With the time passing, the crowd was coming in as well, but there were still space for fresh air to run through the spacious room. With Yamauchi leaning forward on the railings, to her right stood Tomimura and then Fukui. On Yamauchi's left were Moto, Momoi, and then Aomine.

"Oh, I can't wait ta see what kind of guy Yamauchi-tan is talkin' to!" Fukui tapped her fingers on the railings.

Aomine glanced to her, wondering, '_Kagami's talking to that girl_?' His eyes were on Yamauchi. She appeared to look very shy and a nice girl. How in the world did Kagami get her attention?

"Me too, I want to see Kagami-san!" Moto chuckled, her hands on the railings. She waved her head back and forth to have her hair play in the air behind her. The moment the teams were coming in, Moto cupped her mouth and shouted, "Kagami-san?!"

Down on the lower floor, to Seirin's team, one tall guy with dark red spiky hair looked around. "Huh? Who's calling me?" he kept looking. And then a shorter boy with light blue hair tugged on the dark red haired guy's shirt and pointed to where Moto was waving.

"Hi, Kagami-tan!" Fukui waved.

Yamauchi blushed at her friends and Kagami looked up. He looked uncomfortable and rubbed the back of his neck. Yamauchi then waved and he smiled a little. "I'm glad you made it!" Kagami called. Yamauchi only nodded with a big smile.

"Tetsu-kun, good luck!" Momoi called. Fukui wondered whom Momoi was talking to, so she searched around. But Fukui really had no clue who Momoi was cheering too.

"Why is Aomine here?" Kagami frowned, going back to his team.

A male's soft voice said, "Because Aomine-kun is our friend."

Shortly, the game started. Seiren begun rough and showed no mercy. Yamauchi kept her eyes on Kagami and at the ball at the same time. Tomimura stared blankly and her eyes were widened each passing minute. Fukui's hand covered her mouth as the 'battle' became intense within five minutes and Moto jumped with excitement. Shoes squeaked and people roared happily.

Just then, Kagami had the ball and jumped from the middle of the court. His jump was so high, the girls could have swore he had jumped pass their level. And then with his left hand, he dunked the ball. "WOOO!" Moto screamed with her eyes shut, grinning happily at Kagami's dunk. "I'm a fan now, Kagami-san!"

The ball hit the ground and the whistle was blown. Tomimura's face went a bit pale, '…_I think he's better than Kise_,' she thought. She had see Kise before, but Kagami was a whole different story. Kagami was fierce and headstrong, though Kise was somewhat the same, but Tomimura was just shock at Kagami's jumping power.

Fukui wrapped her arms around Tomimura's neck due to the excitement. "Wow, did ya see that, Tomimura-tan!" Fukui laughed loudly.

"Yes, I did," Tomimura flattened her eyes, not trying to get away from Fukui's grasp.

Momoi heard Aomine snort and she smiled to him. He seemed even more uninterested, but she could tell he wanted to get into the action too. "You want to show off too?" Momoi teased with a smile.

"Nah," he responded, leaning forward on the railings. "I don't need fans like Kise does."

"Hehe," Momoi brushed her long bangs behind her ears. "Silly, Aomine-kun." He gave her an annoyed look and she just giggled at him again.

The game continued without a single mercy for the other team. Kagami kept going on by himself. Aomine figured there was no need for Kuroko, who was now benched at the side. The game was too easy, which pissed Aomine off. '_Why did I come today_?' he asked himself. He begun to recollect his memories since the game seemed too boring. And then he blinked when he remembered. '_Oh. Satsuki said the girls from the mixers would be coming and_…'

"AWESOME, KAGAMI-SAN!" Moto's voice just got louder and her voice echoed throughout the gym. She laughed and hugged Momoi closely. "This is too cool! I'm so happy to have come here! And Momoi-chan feel so niceeee~!"

"Ah haha?" Momoi blinked, trying to be polite to get out of the embrace.

Aomine glanced to the two girls. He noticed Moto's arm had a faint wound from before when they were at the rink. As he remembered about the three favors he owned Moto, he sagged his head to the other side with a frown. '_I had to remind myself_,' he thought rather bitterly. But a man got to keep his word. Hopefully she would not treat him as a slave. He would really hate that.

For the rest of the game, Aomine no longer paid attention. The game ended and Seirin tripped the score.

Outside of the school, Aomine and the girls were waiting at the back entrance. Momoi squealed, running off when Kuroko and Kagami had walked together from the back doors. "Tetsu-kun!" Momoi waved.

But then Moto jumped onto Momoi's back and Momoi almost fell forward. "You were great, Kagami-san!" Moto beamed. Puzzled, Kagami stared at her. "I'm Moto Shizuka!"

Everyone was introduced all over again and Fukui and Moto both let out a fearful cry when the realized Kuroko's presence. Tomimura was standing with Aomine, away from the group. The two of them actually looked bored together. And when the group gathered, Yamauchi was next to Kagami. "Oh, didn't you say Midorima-kun will be having his match tomorrow?" Yamauchi inquired. She was asking out of curiosity. "Shūtoku High, right?"

"Oh?" Fukui smirked. She stepped next to Kagami, who gave her a weird look. "Dat's too bad. We have ta go home today."

"That is too bad," Kuroko nodded with Momoi taking his arm with her own.

Moto pouted, "Aw, that really do suck. I want to see Midorima-san's match too!" And then she beamed, "…Let's surprise him tomorrow by going to see him!"

"GREAT idea!" Fukui chuckled and Moto instantly hugged her. The two of them were bursting out with a sadistic laughter.

"Hold on," Tomimura slapped the girls' arms. The two girls smiled to her and Tomimura sighed. "You can't be serious. I know it's Sunday tomorrow, but…"

Moto grinned, "Then we'll stay over at Momoi-chan's place! My parents will totally allow me!"

"My dad too," Fukui nodded. "Not like my brothers will need me ta cook them dinner tonight anyway. They can those ramen noodles they've been eatin', haha."

Yamauchi blinked, "Oh… um…"

Fukui looked at her quickly, "I'll talk ta yar parents, don't ya worry, Yamauchi-tan!"

She had a pause and lowered her head with a smile. "Okay," Yamauchi agreed. She did want to see Kagami a little more. But then she was not certain if he would go too. So she looked up at him, "Kagami-kun, will you be coming with us to see Midorima-kun too?"

Kagami frowned about the thought of Midorima and Yamauchi looked hurt. Noticing this, Kagami nodded right away, "Of course I will! Just as long as Midorima doesn't give me those looks when I get there."

"Oh, you two are not on good terms?" Yamauchi inquired, tilting her head. Then she was sorry for asking him to come.

Kuroko shook his head, "No, they're good friends."

"To hell with that guy!" Kagami shot a glare to Kuroko.

Tomimura sighed, "Okay… I guess… Momoi, can we stay over at your place for the night?" She looked to the pink haired girl.

"Of course," Momoi smiled. There was no trouble at all. "It would be like a slumber party!" She was an only child too, so they had a lot of space to spare.

"Then we'll go buy extra clothes and toothbrushes!" Moto raised a fist happily.

"What are you, rich?" Aomine flattened his eyes at the girls.

Fukui chuckled, "No, but we have enough money. …Shall we go for a quick shoppin', eh?" She glanced to the others. The only who seemed to mind was Aomine. "Aw, Aomine-tan, ya have nothin' to do anyway, right? Spend some time with us!"

"Yeah, I'll buy you one thing!" Moto bribed excitedly, pointing her first finger to him.

Aomine had a small smirk, "Am I not the one who should be doing your favors?" She blinked and looked a bit dense about what he was talking about. "Don't you remember? Man, I even bother to remember myself!" He raised his voice a bit and wondering what was wrong with her.

"Hah?" Moto cracked a smile. "What are you saying? I didn't mean any of those three favors. I already forgot about it too!"

He gave her a strange look. Everyone looked at the two of them curiously. "Then why did you…?" he trailed off in his question.

Moto smiled wider, letting her hair being played with the wind. "Because you looked so bored!" she told him honestly. "How many times do I have to say it? I just hate it when there are people who are bored!" He was speechless and stared at her like she was absolutely stupid. "Don't tell me you didn't have fun! You skated as fast as a cheater!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Cheater?"

She blinked and then laughed. "Oh, I mean cheetah! As fast as a cheetah!" She waved her hand at him, holding her stomach with her other hand.

"Let's get goin'," Fukui took a step first, looking at everyone with a smile. "If Aomine-tan doesn't want ta go for a little shoppin', then let's not forced 'im."

Tomimura took Fukui's lead and they walked as a pair. Taking Kuroko's hand, Momoi gently pulled him and they went off together. Kagami and Yamauchi continued to be side by side. Aomine blinked when Moto softly touched his arm when she skipped pass him. "You're coming?" she winked. "I'll be lonely because I don't have a partner to walk with!"

"That's your problem," he sneered. She stopped skipping and faced him with a pout. He snickered and put his hands in his pockets. Moving his damn feet, he made the attempt and walked to her. "Fine. I'll pretend this is your first favor," he smirked.

Moto turned around and they walked side by side. "Whatever you say, Aomine-san," she nudged him with her elbow. "Remember. No one's forcing you! Haha!"

Her laughter was annoying, but he glanced to her curiously. She was still smiling to him and then she slipped her arm around his own. She looked so cheeky and he brushed her off a few seconds after. "Don't do that," he told her. "People will get the wrong idea."

Her grin stayed her face and she said nothing as they followed the group. Seriously, Aomine was beginning to wonder who raised her to be so weird. She was always bouncing around and he would rather be lying around idly. Oh. They were quite the opposites of each other, were they not? Aomine did not like where that thought was going and decided to trash it in his head.

The group walked off and crossed the street together. From a block away, a tall girl was watching them closely with a smirk. She appeared to be in her late teens, or maybe even older. With no bangs, her thin, silvery hair was tied in a low ponytail on the right side of her head, which the length of her hair continued down to her knee. Her hands were in her black jacket's pockets and her tight leather black pants had a simple blue belt.

Her dark orange eyes appeared to stare at Aomine's group, but she was only focusing on Tomimura. She smirked wider as two young girls walked toward her, face to face. "What did they say?" the silver haired young woman asked without directly looking to the two insignificant girls. Because they were just her 'slaves.'

"They'll be attending one of the Inter-High preliminaries round, involving with Shūtoku High," the girl on the right side said in monotone.

And the girl on the left inquired calmly, "You sure you want to do this?"

The tall young woman moved to lean against the pole with her shoulder and her eyes soon watched the group walk out of sight. "Of course," she sneered, her dark orange eyes carved for vengeance. "As the Silver Blade, I'll make the Golden Bullet regret to ever kill what were mine." She licked her lips and stared into the crowd. "Whether my boss will like it or not, we'll start with Tomimura Mizuki as an early warning."

* * *

**Author's note**: Sorry for any mistakes you see. I'll get to them when I have time.

Again, thanks for reading!


	24. Are You Girls All Right?

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 24 was uploaded on December 19, 2013

**Author's note**: Life is still getting in the way, but I am still aiming to keep on writing and finish this!

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 24: Are You Girls All Right?**

The next day, Kagami and Kuroko were meeting up with the girls at the main gates of another school, not Shūtoku High. It was an hour before noon and Midorima and his school had not started their basketball game. Momoi and the other four girls, who stayed at Momoi's place like they said they would, were not here yet and the two men were not sure if Aomine would come either.

"Should we go out and eat after this match with those girls?" Kagami asked, looking to Kuroko.

Kuroko glanced to him and thought for a moment. "I like that idea," he nodded with a smile. "…And Kagami-kun?"

"Yeah?" Kagami looked away, trying to see if any of the girls were going to show up at all. They better not be late putting make-up on or anything. Like making sure their hair was perfect, for example.

"Do you like Yamauchi-san?" Kuroko inquired.

Kagami flinched and gave him a glare. "Why are you asking, Kuroko?"

The shorter guy slowly faced him and seemed a bit dense. "Because haven't you two been talking since the first mixer?" Kuroko asked. "I saw you checked your phone all the time last week." Kagami blushed with a harder glare and seemed very uncomfortable about it. "You should know your own feelings before breaking her heart, don't you think?"

"I know what I'm doing!" Kagami retorted, taking a few steps away from him. He felt annoyed and really rather keep his feelings to himself. "She's a nice girl and… hell, like I'll tell you!"

Kuroko smiled, "If you ever feel like talking about it—"

"What about you and Momoi, huh?!" Kagami snapped his head at him. Kuroko blinked and seemed unfazed. "She keeps on hanging onto you! And I'm starting to feel it's a one-sided love. You never mentioned about her or looked at your phone either. What was up with that?"

His eyes stared at Kagami mysteriously and they both fell silent. And then Kuroko opened his mouth, "I…"

"Tetsu-kun!" The two men's heads followed the voice and saw the five girls just across the street. Momoi was running with hand waving high in the air. Moto was holding Momoi's other hand and also waved with a big smile on her face. Behind those two was Tomimura, Yamauchi, and Fukui, who took their time walking.

And it appeared Aomine was not coming. Or was he just late again?

\o~o/

"Shin-chan, why did you bring that large stuffed animal for this day?!" Takao exclaimed. In the locker room of the school where Kagami and the others were meeting up at, Takao just arrived and was completely utterly shocked to see a huge fat panda in the right corner by Midorima.

The glasses guy was sitting on the bench and it appeared his thoughts were disrupted. It was only the two of them in the room. Looking at Takao at the corner of his eyes, Midorima said in an almost annoyed voice, "Because I needed it. I would have gotten a bigger size, but this was all they had."

Frowning, Takao walked to the panda and patted it on the head. "Man, if everybody sees this, they'll think a fan gave it to you," he sighed. "Or even us because we're a team!"

"Then it will blend in with us just fine," Midorima supposed as he looked away to his left hand. The white tapes were on firmly. Everything was done perfectly. But something still felt so wrong. Midorima was having a big feeling something may happen. But what was it? His horoscope did not help very much either, but he tried to come prepared for the day. '_I will not miss an single shoot as well_,' his eyes lightly glared.

Takao snickered and tried to forget about the obvious lucky item of Midorima's. "Well, our underclassmen are going to be even shocked as I am," Takao grinned. "Be ready for their reaction." With no comment, Midorima closed his eyes as he pushed up his glasses. Takao set his bag on the bench and unzipped the small pocket to search for something. "Hm?"

Midorima was focusing again and could not concentrate when Takao started to mumble. "Something the matter, Takao?" the green haired guy sighed to him.

"I think I dropped one of my trading cards," Takao replied, freaking out a bit. He quickly calmed himself and remembered, "I was trading with someone… oh yeah, and it was by that vending machine!"

"Takao," Midorima shifted in his seat when Takao rushed to the door.

"I'll be right back," Takao smiled, opened the door and closed it. He rushed to his right and walked down the hall quickly. Hopefully no one picked it up yet. Being as positive as possible, Takao picked up his pace just in case. This school was unfamiliar to him, but he remembered the twist and turns of the hall. He would find it in not time.

After a couple of minutes, he eventually found the place where vending machines were. A few people were around and some tall girl was buying drinks. Takao blinked and looked around for any trace of his card on the floor. He even bent down to see if it was under the vending machines, although maybe he should have backed away some more. Because the tall girl turned around, she gave him a weird look. Takao paused and smiled uneasily when it appeared like he was trying to peek under her skirt. But then he noticed something in her mouth. Her lips were holding his card! He got up quickly and she blinked right back at him. In her arms, she was carrying about eight drinks in her arms to her chest.

"Er, that's mine card," Takao smiled. She was almost as tall as him.

The girl was Moto herself. She did not look convinced when this random guy pointed to the card on her face. The moment he reached out, she turned her head and stepped back as she continued to hold the drinks in her arms. She was unable to talk with the card in her mouth, so she was just mumbling noises that made no sense.

He gave her a look and she returned a muffled giggle. He chuckled and quickly moved his hand to snatch the card from her mouth successfully. "Hey!" she pouted. "Finders keepers!"

"Aw, that's a cruel thing to say," he grinned, raising an eyebrow. She seemed really cute, so she must be taken. "And did you steal all of those drinks too?"

Moto giggled, "Of course not! I'm bought these drinks for everyone! And I didn't steal anything, okay?" She stepped up to him and hit him with her shoulder against his. He made no effort to evade her. "Now give it back!"

"But it's mine," he smirked, chuckling again. Because she was still holding eight bottles with both arms, she moved her upper body to hit him with her every shoulder. But then he would back away and dodge each time to avoid any further physical contact. "Wow, aren't you aggressive."

"What proof do you have that card is yours?" Moto asked, circling around him quickly to observe him. Takao stood still and stared at her when she faced in front of him. She tilted her head and smiled, "Oh, you must play basketball, eh? You're quite tall!"

Takao cracked a smile, "Yeah, and?"

So she guessed right. Moto grinned and said, "Well then, I hope you lose!"

He blinked, "Are you serious?" She laughed and walked away without looking back. It appeared she gave up on keeping the card and 'cursed' him as a punishment. He gazed at his card and then watched her run off until she disappeared down the hall. With a smirk, he playfully used the card to touch his lips. "Really cute," he murmured. Whoever her boyfriend was, he must be a very lucky person to have someone like her.

When Takao realized he put his card to his lips, he remembered the girl had also set her mouth on the same spot. He had a long pause and slowly smiled, tilting his head a bit. Not that he was feeling perverted, but no one was going to know. So he gave the card a quick kiss and turned his left foot first and walked off to head back to the locker room.

\o~o/

"I got us drinks!" Moto declared, running to her friends who were already seated on the bottom indoor gym bleachers.

"Is that why you were gone?" Tomimura sighed at her, who was sitting by the edge. Down to her right sat Fukui, Yamauchi, Momoi, Kuroko, and then Kagami. As Moto went to sit between Yamauchi and Momoi, Tomimura received a yellow drink on her lap. "Um, Moto…?" Tomimura blinked, not desiring to have a drink of soda.

"You're welcome!" Moto giggled. She handed Fukui a green drink, Yamauchi a clear drink, Momoi a pink drink, Kuroko a black drink, and Kagami received a light blue drink. The remaining drinks Moto had were two more: a dark blue drink and a purple drink. "Now, all we have to do is cheer for Midorima-san!" Moto raised her fist joyfully.

Fukui chuckled and opened her drink slowly. "I can't wait ta see 'im in action," she smiled.

Taking a note Moto had two drinks, Yamauchi questioned, "Why do you have two?"

Moto grinned happily to her, "I'm saving one for Aomine-san. I know he's not here, but just in case!"

"You're too kind," Kagami frowned off to the side. Aomine was sure lucky someone was thinking about him.

"That was very thoughtful of you, Moto-san," Kuroko nodded to the tall girl. Moto giggled and gave him a peace sign happily, and then Moto went off to hug Momoi for the fun of it.

Momoi seemed to have gotten use to Moto's random hugs and she looked around the room. There were more or less people sitting around. Soon, the match would start. She smiled and wondered how Midorima and his team were doing. "The suspense is already killing me," Momoi said. "Even for a first round."

\o~o/

Just through the same school gates, Aomine arrived and headed to the front lobby lazily. He did not know why he had to come, but he got a call from both Momoi and Moto to show up. If he did not, it would look like Aomine only showed up for Kuroko and Kagami only. It was not much of a threat, but he came anyway. Out on his own will, even if it were obvious that Midorima's team would win.

His eyes bothered to look around because he noticed there were a lot of girls standing around and talking. Were they not here to watch the game too? He lightly frowned at their moments being wasted and made his way to the gym after eyeing a map of the school in the lobby.

Some tall girl just walked by Aomine. A girl with long silver hair. She was not as tall as him, but perhaps as tall as Kise. He stopped walking when he felt a chill down his spill. He never had that feeling before. Glaring, he looked over his shoulder and she continued walking casually. '…_Those eyes of hers_,' he had caught a glimpse of them. He sensed a whole different being inside of her. '_What the hell was that all about_?'

He had such a bad feeling. It was a feeling that the monsters were not only the Generation of Miracles. There are more types out there, but kept quiet in the dark. And that girl who he walked passed was not afraid to show that dangerous nature.

Suddenly an explosion was heard. Aomine snapped his head straight ahead, but closed his eyes when a wave of smokes batted his body. Screams were heard and footsteps ran. "Shit, what the hell?" he opened his eyes. People ran by him, running for their lives as more bombs were heard from other places. '_What is going on? Some sort of terrorist attack_?!'

In the same direction he was staring at, it was where his friends and the girls were. Black smokes formed and the air tainted. Aomine glared and charged forward, worried for the safety of his friends.

\o~o/

When the bombs first started, Yamauchi grabbed onto Fukui out of fear. People screamed in the room and they tried to leave the room. Tomimura stood up first and Kagami followed next. "Wha—?!" Kagami's eyes glared around. Everyone else with him got up and a few people around them remained calm. But more bombs shook their hearts and the ground.

White smokes merged from nowhere and fogged their vision up. "Tetsu-kun!" Momoi cried. "Everyone!"

"We're still there," Kuroko clarified, backing up to guard Momoi. Even Kagami moved to cover the other girls.

Moto dropped the drinks and ignored them as they spilled on her feet. "What should we do?" she asked loudly, hearing the echoes of the people crying. She bumped into Kagami's back and gripped the back of his shirt tightly.

Yamauchi was stilling holding onto Fukui nervously and Fukui patted on her head. "Don't worry, but try not ta get push around by people who are panickin'," Fukui advised, narrowing her eyes.

"We should get out of here though," Yamauchi said, small tears in her eyes. Another bomb was heard from the distance and Yamauchi flinched. "What if the building comes down?"

People managed to head out the exit and the room cleared a bit. "Okay, let's go," Kagami glanced back to them. Kuroko nodded calmly and they all moved at the same time.

Fukui heard a strange sound when her ears picked it up. She turned around, grabbing for Tomimura's left wrist and pulled on her harshly. Tomimura tripped and fell forward down to her palms. Fukui glared to a girl with a black whole facemask and a hood, who was holding a knife that struck out, which could have harmed Tomimura. That girl was dressed mostly in dark clothes and clearly covered up her identity. A knife was in her right hand too.

The only one who looked back was Moto while the others had gone ahead. The masked girl had two more friends in the same clothes and masks. The first girl stabbed to Fukui, but Fukui rushed to her left, her hand smoothly and quickly grabbing the masked girl's right wrist with the knife. Fukui twisted the arm back and her right foot kicked the back of the girl's knee to force her to kneel.

While Fukui was busy with her, the two other girls rushed to aid their masked friend. Tomimura looked back and hurried to her feet as Moto ran forward. Having long legs, she was faster than any of the girls and Moto pretended to punch to the girl on the far left. The masked girl held up her knife to Moto, but Moto giggled, twisting her body when the knife was thrust out. Moto managed to tackled her down with her left arm and they both fell on the ground.

The third girl was already setting her eyes on Tomimura. In response, Tomimura was not able to turn around in time and made a quick movement with her body to kick back to the knife in the girl's hand. The knife flew into the air and Tomimura turned her body to the left and her fist soon met the other girl's fist, their arms slamming into each other. Tomimura's eyes widened as the girl was snickering at her for some reason.

"Tomimura-tan!" Fukui shouted to her when she turned her head.

Something sharp stabbed in Tomimura's right side of her stomach. The girl who Tomimura was dealing with punched across Tomimura's face. Moto quickly punched the girl she tackled to the ground in the face and the girl fell unconscious right away. Moto winced, shaking her hand and got up. She saw Tomimura falling down to ground and a loud thud.

"HEY!" a male's voice called from somewhere.

More smokes gathered. The girl with Fukui hurried to get out of Fukui's grip and head butt Fukui's stomach. Smokes blinded all of them and they started to feel heat radiating. Moto coughed. Fukui covered one of her eyes and saw the two girls carrying their unconscious masked girl away. "Wait a sec!" Fukui rushed forward, but then the ground shook and she lost her balance.

It was then Fukui bumped into someone tall and firm. Alerted, she tried to get away, but he grabbed her arms to give her a little shake, "Fukui, it's me!"

She blinked and looked up awkwardly. "M…Midorima-tan," she uttered timidly. How was he here? She now smiled in relief, but she wondered if he had saw the girls fighting. Or whatever the fight was about. He stared at her strangely, but quickly heaved out a sigh.

Takao walked to Midorima's side. "Why haven't you left the area yet?" Takao raised his voice, his arms over his head. He was trying to shield himself from the black dusts that were falling from the ceiling. His eyes scanned quickly when Fukui calmed herself and Midorima let her go. Takao blinked when Moto helped Tomimura up. And Moto grabbed a big needle out of Tomimura's side and blood dripped. "Whoa, whoa, hey!" Takao rushed to them, freaking out by the sight of the blood from the girl.

"Ow…" Tomimura bit her lower lip, leaning to Moto for a bit of support.

"Are you girls all right?" Takao inquired.

Moto looked at him quickly and said, "Let's just get outside right now!" She held onto the needle closely, fearing if they left it behind, the police might trace this incident to them someday.

Without any words exchanged, Midorima lead them out of the room and they rushed through the black smokes with Takao at the back of the group, making sure every one last of them made it out together. They ran down the emptied hall and the path was clear, but they hurried just to be safe. Takao's eyes widened when he felt someone watching them. He looked over his shoulder, but he saw no one there.

But he did seriously felt someone behind them. Although… who would be so calm to be in amidst of those smokes?

* * *

**Author's note**: I apologize for any mistakes you see here. I wanted to update as soon as I could.

Thanks for reading!


	25. Enjoy It While You Can

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 25 was uploaded on December 25, 2013

**Author's note**: Merry Christmas, even though the day is already ending! 8D

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

* * *

**Chapter 25: Enjoy It While You Can**

A crowd of people was lead out of the building and they were guided by the police and by the other staff of the Inter-High. Aomine was walking around among them, failing to find his friends in the school. So he was just trying to get any glimpse of them anywhere. '_Come on, where the hell did you guys go_?' he glared, turning his head from left to right back and forth.

Always keeping his head high, Aomine bumped back against someone. "Wah!" a girl let out a cry.

Aomine looked back and just saw Yamauchi tripping forward, but Kagami easily caught her by grabbing her arm. "Aomine-kun!" Momoi suddenly appeared to his side and she grabbed his arm. "You came!"

While the Ace of the Generation of Miracles sighed with relieved at his friends' safety, Kuroko was scanning around. "Yamauchi-san, are any of the girls picking up your calls yet?" Kuroko inquired, looking to her. She was on her phone and was trying to contact her friends who disappeared after they left the school grounds.

Yamauchi shook her head 'no' and moved from Kagami's aid. Aomine then asked, "Wait, where are the others?" He begun to realize other girls were missing from the group.

"We don't know," Kagami replied with a frown. "They just suddenly disappeared on us."

Momoi nodded and held herself with her arms. "I hope Midorin and his teammates are okay too," she murmured, her eyes searching the crowd. The smokes were filling up the sky and people chattered loudly. The air felt tense and Momoi moved closer to Kuroko for security.

"I'm certain Midorima-kun and his friends fine," Kuroko told her as he gazed to her.

Kagami nodded, "Yeah, knowing Midorima and all." He had complete faith in that Cancer guy. In fact, Kagami was not worried at all.

"Oh!" Yamauchi smiled and everybody looked at her. "Moto-chan?! Where are you girls?! Do you know how much I was worried?!"

"Sorry about that!" Moto replied on the phone. She sounded quiet and not as cheerful. "We took Tomimura-chan to the hospital—"

Yamauchi gasped, "What happened to Tomimura?! Why are you guys at the hospital?!" Everyone was staring at her curiously and hoped everybody was all right.

"It's just a small hospital!" Moto said, now chuckling. "She'll be fine. We're already done here, so we'll meet up now. Where are you? Are you with the others?"

\o~o/

Ten minutes later, Kuroko and friends found themselves standing at a wide-opened area that were filled with young people who had planned to watch the basketball match. News reporters were scrumming towards the scene, so this was the best place for a bit of peace. And then Aomine saw the others and spotted Moto. He let out a breath of relief, but then criticized himself for worrying about her more than his friends.

"Oh, Midorima-kun is with them," Kuroko blinked. There was even Takao too. Kuroko wanted to greet them when Kagami confronted them first, uttering something to them. Kuroko noticed Tomimura walking strangely and Fukui was helping her by hold her arm. Before Kuroko stepped up, he paused when he felt his phone vibrating. Averting his friends, he took his phone out of his pocket and saw it was from Akashi. Kuroko answered right away, "Yes, Akashi-kun?"

"…I saw the news just now," Akashi's voice came on.

"Oh," Kuroko blinked yet again. No one heard him on the phone and they continued chattering behind him.

Akashi inquired, "Is everyone all right, Tetsuya?"

"Yes," Kuroko nodded casually.

There was a short pause. "Really?"

"Ahh," Kuroko glanced back. "Oh yes. Tomimura-san went to the hospital for a bit. But she seems fine now. There is no other harm done."

"What is she doing over in Tokyo?"

"I'm not too sure," Kuroko replied, his eyes wandering around slowly. "But Yamauchi-san wanted to see Kagami-kun so some of her friends came along."

"…Where did Tomimura get hurt?"

Kuroko paused and made himself turned around. His eyes traced down to Tomimura's right hand, which held her right stomach. She winced when Moto nudged her. "Moto, that hurts!" Tomimura complained.

"Haha, sorry!" Moto hugged her closely, trying hard not to smile.

Kuroko then answered to Akashi, "She must have hurt the side of her stomach."

There was a soft sigh coming from Akashi. "Tetsuya," he said quietly. Kuroko blinked twice and waited for him to finish. "Pretend you're still on the phone for me, will you?"

"Yes, of course," Kuroko smiled. Though, he wondered why Akashi sounded a bit odd. He even requested Kuroko with a question mark.

"And don't tell anyone it's me who you're talking to."

"Done," Kuroko nodded again, making a blank face.

Takao let out a big sigh, "Whew! I wonder who actually managed to put all those bombs in the school! That was crazy!"

"I know, right?" Moto pouted. A second later, she grabbed for his shirt. "Where was the security?!"

"Don't ask me," Takao shrugged to her and she instantly let him go.

Momoi was concerned about Tomimura, so she offered, "Come over here and sit, Tomimura…" There was a bench just a few ways behind them. Whilst Tomimura nodded, Fukui helped her walk toward it. Momoi aid them and her eyes noticed Kuroko. "Tetsu-kun, who are you talking to?"

"I'm contacting my mom because she tried to call a while ago," Kuroko lied almost perfectly.

"Oh," Momoi smiled.

As Tomimura was seated down, Yamauchi took Moto's arm and noticed a strange cut. "Moto-chan, you're hurt too!" Yamauchi whined, hugging her quickly.

"Eh, I'm fine!" Moto chuckled, hugging her back rather tightly.

Midorima was glancing to the girls and his eyes narrowed. Takao was quiet and gave Midorima a silent look. "Who were those girls fighting the three of you?" Midorima inquired bluntly.

Tomimura, Fukui, and Moto all stared at him dryly. Kagami was puzzled and looked to the green head guy. "Who are you talking to?" Kagami inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"We don't know 'em," Fukui said calmly. She pretended to look she had no clue what Midorima was talking about. "They just attacked outta nowhere."

"Yeah, it's strange," Tomimura murmured, still holding her side. And that was true enough. Those girls attacked out of nowhere and aimed for her and two of her friends. It made no sense. Unless it was about work, but Tomimura believed no one would know their faces as Bullets.

"That's horrible!" Yamauchi said, her hands shaking. "And they attacked when the bombs went on?"

Moto nodded with a frown, "Yep."

"But," Takao blinked at the girls. "The three of you even took them on… like you knew how to fight."

"It's called self-defense!" Moto hit her shoulder against his back shoulder. That caused his upper body to move forward and he turned to give her a sigh. "Yeah, we all learn them so no people or perverted men would attack us," Moto voiced with complete honesty, beaming all at the same time.

"Oh, really?" Takao found himself smirking. "So if I did this…" When he reached out, Moto quickly took his wrist and twisted it. Surprisingly, he let his guard down and he turned around to keep his arm from twisting any further. "Okay, okay! I believe you!"

Moto let him go and Midorima frowned, "Don't hurt him like that. We need him for Inter-High." Moto merely grinned to Midorima and said nothing.

"Then how about this?" Aomine had grabbed Moto's right forearm and pulled on her. Moto used her free hand and grabbed her hand of the arm that he held. With a twist of her captured arm, she used her hand to pull her arm out through his grasped fingers. He blinked silently. "You really do know your stuff," Aomine commented as she smiled up at him. Because of the bone of the human arm, she turned it to make her escape easier and leave where his weaker grip was. …Maybe he should have held her arm tighter.

Fukui was laughing so they faced to her. "Geez, if ya wanted ta touch Moto-tan so much, ask her out first, silly boys!" Fukui winked.

Aomine snorted, "Who would?"

"Oh, so Moto's single?" Takao smiled to the tall girl.

"Yep," Moto nodded with a giggle.

Takao continued to smile. "Then you wanna go out with me sometime?" he asked. Moto paused, blinking at him while everyone directed their attention to them. "Oh, wait, we never introduced ourselves." He held his hand out and smirked, "I'm Takao Kazunari. You?"

She giggled and took his hand childishly. "Moto Shizuka!" When they let go of each other's hands, she added, "And I'm sorry, but I wanted to go out with Himuro-san first."

Takao blinked, "Aw, too bad."

"If Himuro-san doesn't want to, then I'll go out with you," she smiled. "I only called him a few times, but he never bother to call me. And I'm starting to get his hidden message. Heh."

"Alright then," Takao grinned. He had no worries. There were a lot of girls chasing after Himuro, so maybe he would not consider Moto. Which means, Takao would have a chance.

Aomine frowned at them and thought nothing.

"I live in Kanagawa though," Moto clarified, pointing to herself.

"Doesn't matter to me," Takao almost laughed, smiling widely.

Kagami let out a sigh and wondered out loud, "Do you guys think they'll delay the match now?" The police sirens were heard from afar and people were looking around. "This might holdup the whole thing too."

"We'll simply wait," Midorima furrowed his eyebrows to him. "Nothing would change either."

Yamauchi smiled with a bit of pity. "This means we'll have to head back home without seeing Midorima-san in action," she said, disappointed.

"Huh?" Takao blinked to her. "You want to see Midorima play? …Wait, how do you guys and girls know each other?" Takao looked at them back and forth. "Or am I misunderstanding something here?"

Midorima grunted and Fukui snickered in the background. Moto gladly said, "We met each other at a mixer!"

"Whoa, seriously?" Takao grinned. He laughed a little and nudged the glasses guy. "Shin-chan, you didn't tell me? Why not? I would have come along! I bet you wanted all of the girls to yourself!"

And while Takao still teased the quiet Midorima, Momoi looked to Tomimura and asked, "Does it hurt? Will you be able to get back home okay?"

"I'll be fine as long as I'm still," Tomimura nodded with her eyes on the ground. Her gut was hurting, but it was just a hole. Better than being stabbed by a knife. "…And Fukui's here, so we'll be back home safe and sound."

Momoi let a smile spread on her face and was still concerned for Tomimura. Fukui then gave the pink haired girl a wink to assure her and Momoi nodded once. Just right after that moment, Kuroko stood next to them and he was still on the phone. Momoi fixed her gaze to him and gave him a strange look. "Tetsu-kun, you still haven't reach your mom yet?" she inquired.

"…Hm," he nodded. He took the phone away and pretended to dial. And then he put it back to his ears.

"Ask how Tomimura's been doing this past week," Akashi told him.

Kuroko blinked and his eyes over on Tomimura, who was still looking at the ground with an uncomfortable expression on her face. "So, Tomimura-san," Kuroko spoke. She lifted her face up to him and Fukui was smiling curiously. "How was your week?"

"Why are ya only askin' her?" Fukui grinned in a teasing tone.

"I was going to ask all of you," Kuroko smiled back. "I never met any of you, but I know Tomimura-san a little. And I want her to feel comfortable as well as everyone else. I mean no offensive."

"Aw, what a cutie," Fukui chuckled.

Tomimura sighed for a second and looked to him. "…My week was fine, Kuroko," she said, smiling a little. "Thank you for your concern."

\o~o/

Akashi was in his bedroom, lying down on his back against the bed. His eyes stared at the ceiling and he listened when Tomimura was talking. But then Kagami's loud voice overpowered as Midorima scolded him about something. Akashi did not react to that much and knew they would quiet down soon.

And then he heard Tomimura asked, "Do you guys know what Akashi is doing?" Akashi's eyelids opened a bit.

"Oh," Aomine started. "Nope. Not at all. No one is keeping tabs on him."

Fukui giggled, "Aw, does our little Tomimura-tan miss 'im?"

Tomimura's sigh was heard, "Are you kidding me? Of course not." Akashi breathed through his nose and felt nothing in his chest. When he was going to tell Kuroko he was going to hang up, Tomimura's voice quietly said, "I just think… it's strange he hadn't called me."

"Ah ha!" Moto's voice rung. "Look, everyone! Tomimura-chan looked lovesick just now!"

"No, I am not!" Tomimura retorted suddenly.

Kagami then said, "Wait, Akashi's not talking to you, Tomimura? Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened!" Tomimura's voice sounded shy.

Akashi rolled on his right side and stared blankly. He continued to listen and heard Midorima inquired, "Akashi is interested in this girl?"

"What's wrong with dat?" Fukui sounded proud. "Our Tomimura-tan is lovable if ya get ta know her."

Takao snickered, "Then we better stay away from her. Akashi would kill us if we try to hit on her, yeah?"

"Exactly," Aomine agreed and then yawned.

Yamauchi giggled, "Tomimura-chan, why don't you try calling him? Maybe he's just busy with his basketball club and all?"

"No, I won't," Tomimura's determined voice responded. Akashi grunted and kept his thoughts to himself. "I rather call Kise." And that made Akashi snapped in the inside. "Akashi's possessive and I don't like it."

"Hm?" Momoi's voice was now heard. "Then…what kind of guy do you like, Tomimura?"

Everyone was quiet and Akashi waited patiently. "I…" Tomimura uttered. "Do I have to answer that?"

Moto laughed, "Aw, Tomimura! If you're asking why Akashi-san isn't calling, then he must have something you like, right?"

"Enough, I'm done talking about this," Tomimura told them.

"Then don't bring it up," Moto snickered.

The group went off to talk about the bomb incident now. Akashi said, "Tetsuya, I'm hanging up."

"Yes," Kuroko noted.

When Akashi ended the call, he went and called Kise right away. '_I want to see her again_,' Akashi thought, his eyes staring at the wall emotionlessly. He only promised not to talk to Tomimura, but his father did not said they could not see each other. When Akashi heard the phone click, he spoke, "Ryouta, when are we meeting for the summer?"

"Eh, do you mean when we play Spin the Bottle, Akashi-cchi?" Kise inquired.

"Yes."

Kise chuckled and nothing was heard in the background. "Well, I had talked to the others about it last week and I was going to inform you the details," he notified. "Most of them would be training with their basketball club in the first two weeks of summer break. That would leave August wide open. We have a month of break there. So it would depends when we all want to meet with each other during that time."

Akashi moved to sit up with a thought. "…Then let's spend one week together in the middle of August," he decided.

"Where do you suggest?" Kise asked.

"There is a private site where my father owns," the redhead said, recalling about it. "It's close to Kyoto."

"Then we'll go with that," Kise said, trusting Akashi. "I'll let everyone know and see what they think of it."

Akashi had a faint smile, "And one thing, Ryouta."

Kise chuckled softly, "…Say it."

"Tomimura Mizuki is mine."

"…Unless she chooses me, Akashi-cchi," Kise taunted, sounding a bit carefree. "I know losing hurts… and I have decided. I'm going to try out this battle with you. Actually, not try, but I will do it. We'll see who she chooses." Akashi's face become cold and he said nothing. "Since you live so far away, I have a slight advantage. I'm going to ask her out when I'm close enough to her."

Still saying nothing, the two of them had a long silence. Akashi's left eye acted up again, but he ignore the pain. As much as he felt victory was certain, Akashi had his doubts. There was his father. But Akashi also wanted Tomimura for himself as well. What would he do now that Kise confirmed he was interested in Tomimura?

Kise chuckled and said, "I hope we'll remain as friends though. I don't… really like fighting over a girl with someone I respect."

"Same here, Ryouta," Akashi honestly remarked. "But go ahead and lay down your cards. Enjoy it while you can."

"Ahhh, Akashi-cchi always sounds so confident!" Kise whined and sighed right after. "But okay. I'll give it my best! You better not regret it when I win!"

Akashi smiled a bit, "I could say the same to you."

Kise had a heartfelt laugh as if something that burdened him had left. "If this is all, Akashi-cchi, then I will have to go," Kise told him. "I have a photo shoot to attend to."

"Alright," Akashi said.

"I'll talk to you as soon as I tell everyone about the plan!"

"…Yeah," Akashi lowered his eyes.

"Bye!"

Akashi ended the call and closed his cell phone. The pain in his left eye was gone. He narrowed his eyes and begun setting his mind about Inter-High. '_I can think about Tomimura later_,' he told himself. '_I have to train my teammates harder_.' If he showed a sign of weakness, his teammates and opponents would notice.

There was no room for love for the moment. …Love? Was it really love?

\o~o/

The day was ending as everyone saw Tomimura, Fukui, Moto, and Yamauchi off at the train station. The train had left and Takao let out a depressed sigh. "Ah~ah," Takao put his hands behind his head. "There they go… They're such a fun group of girls."

"I think so too," Momoi chuckled as she brought up her fingertips to her lips.

Midorima glanced to Kagami, "So they've become your fangirls?"

Kagami snapped at him with a small blush, "No, not at all!"

"Ha," Aomine rolled his eyes. "You should have seen those girls, Midorima. They were jumping and screaming Kagami's name."

"Aomine-kun," Momoi sighed at him. "Not every one of them. Tomimura didn't do any of that."

"You should have seen the look on her face then," Aomine told her. For he saw Tomimura was also enchanted by Kagami's play.

Kuroko blinked, "Aomine-kun, you were staring at Tomimura-san?"

"Of course not!" Aomine retorted for some reason. They all stared at him strangely and he glared. "I just caught a glimpse of it. Nothing more." He was actually staring at Moto most of the times, but as if he would tell them that.

Takao was the first turn around. "Well, time to head back home," he waved. "Shin-chan, let's go." Midorima did not need him to order him around and followed him. He sulked a bit, but quickly covered it up. Takao already saw that though and smirked, "Oh let me guess! Did you also wish you have fangirls? Which one of them do you like?"

"Shut up, Takao," Midorima glanced to him coldly.

Momoi took Kuroko's arm and they walked together with Kagami and Aomine at different sides. "Our homes are almost in the same way," she smiled. "Let's walk together for a bit."

Kuroko nodded as Kagami frowned. '_I still don't get why Kuroko feels nothing toward Momoi_,' Kagami flattened his face.

With Aomine yawning and daydreaming, he was soon irritated about something. Moto Shizuka. First she wanted Himuro and now she might go to Takao. '_I can't believe she would go for any guy_,' he thought. Not that he was upset, but it was like she would take what she could get. That was annoying.

Kuroko looked down to Momoi's hand that slipped down to his own hand. She was only holding his hand though and did not lock her fingers with his. He smiled and slid his fingers between her own soft fingers, but she did not notice. Kuroko looked at the back of her head since she was in front of him.

Truly, he did not mind if she was unaware of it. Because no matter what kind of action he tried to show, Momoi always failed to see it. Even his friends were the same. So it did not matter if no one saw his attempts. This was already good enough. So he held her tighter and just wore a kind expression on his face.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	26. Aka-chin Has It All Covered

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Possible Genres**: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

**Note to self**: Chapter 26 was uploaded on January 2, 2013

**Author's note**: I was happy to know people liked the moment between Kuroko x Momoi! So thank you for your comments on them. I was rather nervous about it! XD

Special thanks to my other reviewers! And many thanks to those who favs and follows this story! I hope everyone are having a great start of 2014!

* * *

"Talking"

'_Thinking_'

_Texting_

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**Chapter 26: Aka-chin Has It All Covered**

On the following day, the girls were all in the gunroom and they were just finishing up. None of the girls brought their guns though, as clearly instructed by their boss. So they were using spare ones in the room a while ago. With that, Imayoshi left the room to take the spare guns back.

Koizumi was testing out a black, thin leather glove on her left hand and pulled it down so her fingers could feel more comfortable. On the back of the glove, there was a flat, round object and a tiny trigger below it too. "I love these things," Koizumi talked to herself, moving her hand away to admire the glove. "But I hope boss made these more durable this time."

"I'm sorry, Kise, but I will not allow any further meeting with you or your friends," Tomimura said. All of the girls turned their heads. Tomimura was on the phone while she was sitting on the table. Kise's voice was shouting and asking her why. "Because!" she retorted, closing her eyes annoyingly. "Now goodbye!" she ended the call and turned her phone off.

Sakai blinked and slowly gazed to Moto, who was sitting in a chair with her legs crossed. She was just next to Tomimura too. "Tell me about that incident again," Sakai furrowed her eyebrows

"Oh, right," Moto remembered. She reached over to her bag and took out a wrapped towel out of it. She laid it out on the table and revealed the big needle with dried blood on it on the towel. "This was thrown to Tomimura-chan," Moto notified, looking to Sakai.

"Tsk," Sakai lightly glared. "That's the Silver Blade's signature hidden weapon."

"Ah, shit!" Fukui snapped her fingers, pouting a little. "How would she know Tomimura-tan's face? I bet she saw me and Moto-tan too!"

While all of the girls circled around the table, Seki pushed up her glasses and frowned. Sakai then explained, "The Silver Blade has a lot of dumb underlings around. So I'm sure she know all of our faces."

"But she broke the rules by harming Tomimura-chan!" Yamauchi whimpered, tugging Sakai's sleeve.

"I know she did, but technically… she didn't either," Sakai heaved a long sigh after. "I mean, Tomi-chan had already won a round. But as we know, Tomimura could die in a car accident… or simply murder… And the Silver Blade probably attempted to do that since Tomimura was already declared the winner of the year."

Fukui glared, "No fair!"

"Well," Seki crossed her arms to her chest. Her calm eyes gazed to meet Tomimura's eyes. "Mind if I ask if you did anything lately to piss the Silver Blade off, Tomimura?"

"I don't know," Tomimura frowned to herself. "…Which is why we shouldn't hang with Kise and his friends anymore. The Silver Blade set those bombs everywhere just to get to us… She's dangerously crazy. She's not even afraid to pull it off and harm the bystanders."

Moto whined and hugged Tomimura gently, who was still injured on the side. "Awwww, why must that insane Blade have to harm you?!" Moto asked loudly, worried for her friend.

A sigh was heard from Koizumi and the girls curiously looked to her. "Sakai, I think it might have something to do with you," Koizumi stared at her emotionlessly. "Don't you think so too?"

Everyone was quiet and Sakai lowered her eyes with shame. "…I can never apologize enough, can I?" Sakai asked, her eyes saddening. "Tomimura got hurt because… I must have killed one of the Silver Blade's underlings…"

"Well!" Seki turned around and walked away. "There's no point to even bring that up. For now, I am certain our boss is discussing this matter with our enemy's boss. So, girls, don't think too much of it."

Tomimura nodded to Sakai, "Yeah, don't blame yourself."

All girls were quiet again. Fukui cracked a small smile as she averted her head. Seki had looked ready to go and adjusted her black bag over her shoulder. "Leavin' so soon?" Fukui asked, blinking a couple of times.

"Yeah," Seki glanced over to the girls. "And to be sure, girls, please don't think too much about the Silver Blade. She's not worth thinking about."

Moto grinned, "Okay then!"

Koizumi looked for her bag, which was on the other side of the room. With the leathered glove on her left hand, she waved it as she made a sharp twist on her wrist. A thin wire with a hook extended upon the trigger and grabbed around her brown bag. She quickly threw her left hand back, lifting the wire to carry the bag into the air. With the small twist of her hand, the wire let go and rewind back into the flat, round object, which acted as a reel inside. The bag flew toward her and she caught it with her right hand.

"I love using those myself," Sakai's face brightened up, smiling to Koizumi. Taking off the glove, Koizumi put it in her bag. "I think we should have all our equipments ready for the future rounds by now."

Tomimura sighed, "I'm a bit depressed, since I never got to use them in my fight of the year."

"Aw," Yamauchi sheepishly smiled. "You can still use them. You know… for self-defense."

"Yamauchi, we can't them openly like that," Seki wanted to note, fixing her glasses in place. Yamauchi giggled to herself and Seki waved to the girls. "I'm off now. See you girls later."

Surprised, Yamauchi chased after her, "Let's walk home together!"

"…Sure," Seki considered as she looked to her quietly.

"Then I'll leave with Koizumi-chan!" Moto threw her arms around Koizumi's neck. Koizumi said nothing and tried to walk off with Moto slightly hanging on her.

Sakai lips curled up into a smile and she said, "I'll be heading home alone. I live in the other direction after all."

"We can still walk together," Tomimura kindly remarked.

Fukui nodded, "Yeah! De three of us can walk together!"

Out the back door, Seki and Yamauchi left the building and headed out of the alleyway. Seki had turned on her phone and a text was sent to her a mere second later. While Yamauchi leaned in to see who it was, Seki opened and read: _Do you still plan on that summer event?_ From Akashi.

"What are you going to say, Seki-chan?" Yamauchi inquired, tilting her head to see Seki's small smile.

Seki wrote back: _Of course. The majority can rule, right? _She sent it right away and chuckled to Yamauchi. "I'm assuming your still up for that Spin the Bottle?" she asked her shorter friend.

A slight blush appeared on Yamauchi's cheeks. She smiled and looked more comfortable with the idea now. "Yes," she replied.

Out of the alleyway walked Moto and Koizumi, who both walked closely to one another. Moto's phone was ringing and she reached into her bag right away. It was from Himuro. Answering with a smirk, she greeted, "Yes, what's up?"

"A couple of the guys were wondering if you girls still want to meet up one more time during summer vacation," Himuro begun to speak. "Atsushi stated Akashi suggested for the gathering after the Summer Festival."

Moto grinned, "Of course! We'll be there!"

Because they were walking close together, Koizumi could hear their conversation quite clearly. That or Moto's phone was easy to hear. "Moto, we really shouldn't," Koizumi narrowed her eyes. Even if Seki said they should not worry, Koizumi had her doubts about the Blades. Therefore, they should not be getting together with any of the guys.

Himuro's voice said, "Let me talk to her." Afterwards, Moto pressed her phone to Koizumi's ear, who flinched in respond. "Koizumi-san, I would like you to come as well."

Koizumi now slapped Moto's hand away and rushed forward timidly. "Eh, Koizumi-chan!" Moto snickered, running after her. "Oh, come on! Who can say 'no' to Himuro-san?"

"I can," Koizumi hissed, feeling her cheeks warming up. And then she begun ran when Moto easily caught up. Moto laughed cheerfully and just stuck onto her like glue.

As for the last group of girls, they stood near the end of the alleyway when Fukui received a call from Murasakibara. "Aw, ya're really want ta get together after the summer festival?" Fukui smirked, responding to Murasakibara.

Both Tomimura and Sakai waved their hands to have Fukui say 'no'. Fukui giggled at her friends and glanced away. It was then Murasakibara's voice answered, "Yeahhhh. Not really, but yeah. Tell the other girls to come to, okay?"

"As ya wish," Fukui chuckled, playing with her hair. "And ya make sure ta bring every single of yar friends too. Ya know, from de both mixers. …And I miss Midorima-tan already."

Murasakibara sighed, "Don't worry about that. Aka-chin has it all covered."

"Yay for Akashi-tan!" Fukui gave the girls a thumbs up along with a wink.

Tomimura and Sakai frowned in return, having no words to say. '_Kise must have told Akashi after we've talked a few minutes ago_,' Tomimura heaved a long, annoyed sigh.

\o~o/

Sakai Yua was playing an old Mario video game on her phone, clicking away gently since she did not want to break the buttons. She was in the public library, sitting alone at a six-seated table in the back of the room on the second floor. Her eyes glared when she lost as footsteps were behind her.

"Yua, you can't beat anyone by playing games," a voice simpered.

The blonde closed her phone and blinked innocently as she looked over her shoulder. There stood a tall young woman with the thin, silvery hair that was tied in a low ponytail on the right side of her head. "A video game is just the same as real life, Gin-chan," Sakai Yua smiled maturely.

"And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Ginmori-sama?" the silver haired girl walked next to her. Messing with the blonde's hair, who groaned annoyingly, the silverhead smirked. "You're always call your sister onee-sama, don't you?"

When Ginmori retreated her hand, Sakai Yua straightened her hair down. "Because onee-sama deserved to be respected," the blonde stated with a smirk of her own. "Gin-chan is Gin-chan.… and you're my rival who I will surpass someday."

"My only rival is your older sister," Ginmori sneered, looking away with a small grin. "Keep dreaming, Yua."

Sakai Yua pressed her closed phone to her lips, her red eyes glimmering secretively. "You will never beat onee-sama…" she smiled. "No one will."

"Don't get me angry now," Ginmori smirked to her, lowering her head to her. "You're just a beginner. And as a fellow Blade, learn to respect your senpai." Her eyes mockingly stared into the blonde's red eyes, which were as calm. "Remember that, Yua."

"Yes, Gin-chan," she smiled with her head tilted to the side. Ginmori said nothing and took a seat by her. "So, how did it go with boss today?" Sakai Yua inquired. A mere smile spread across the silverhead's face and there was silence. "…So-so, huh?"

Again. Nothing but silence.

\o~o/

In Tomimura's home, Sakai decided to stay for a while and they both were grabbing snacks in the kitchen. The CD just played and Sakai directed her eyes to it as the ocean waves were being played first before a melody. "Ehhhh, Tomi-chan!" Sakai whined, looking to her. Tomimura was throwing in a chex mix randomly into a big bowl. "Why do you still have that CD?"

"Because we all made it," Tomimura shrugged.

"But Nakano-chan…"

Tomimura stopped what she was doing. "I want to keep remembering about Nakano," Tomimura smiled. Sakai stared at her and slowly let the subject slide. "Sakai, you never told us what this song was about."

"Mmm," Sakai pouted, grabbing emptied pale blue cups into her hand. "You're that curious?"

"Why do you think I would I ask?"

Sakai sighed for a moment with her eyes on the cups. "The title is 'The Old Man and the Sea'…" she blushed a little. "The Old Man is the matchmaker in China, a deity in charge of the red string of fate… The song is basically about a two lovers being apart from each other, the ocean separating them."

'_So the song WAS something about ocean_,' Tomimura slowly stared at her silently.

"And their love just drifts apart over time," Sakai pouted. "And that's all I'll say. Nothing much."

Tomimura blinked, "But I was just getting interested." Sakai said nothing and walked off to the refrigerator with the cups. Tomimura did not force it on her and just thought to herself, '_Sakai's still hiding her personal feelings_.' Would she ever open up to Tomimura? With a quiet sigh, Tomimura's heart felt heavy. '_If only you were here, Nakano_.'

* * *

Thanks for reading!


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